UConn Co-op Responds to University’s Decision to Issue RFP for New Bookstore Operator

The Board of Directors and staff of the UConn Co-op Bookstore spoke out in support of their store after the administration at the University of Connecticut announced it had put out an RFP (request for proposals) for a new bookstore operator.

In a written response to UConn’s announcement, the Co-op argued that the store is best suited to meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff, more so than any national for-profit corporation that might take its place. Co-op leaders also promised to submit an official proposal during the bidding process to continue the bookstore’s service to the university, whose central campus is located in Storrs, Connecticut.

“We believe the UConn Co-op is the best choice,” said Timothy Dzurilla, chair of the Co-op Board. “Before ‘locally owned’ was the trend, UConn led the way with a locally owned bookstore… Local ownership allows the Co-op to be more responsive to the needs of students, faculty, and staff than a distant, profit-focused corporation. The UConn Co-op puts service, not profit, first.”

The UConn Co-op, which was established in 1975, currently operates as an independent member-owned non-profit cooperative. At present, it has approximately 35,000 members, primarily students, faculty, and staff of the University of Connecticut. The store, which is open to the public, also has locations at five regional campuses of the university throughout the state.

In a report in the Hartford Courant, University of Connecticut spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said the Co-op had approached the university back in January to let them know they were having financial problems, and one solution the Co-op suggested was for UConn to take over the store. However, Bill Simpson, president and chief operating officer of the Co-op, told the Courant that the bookstore has taken aggressive measures to increase revenues and cut costs since approaching the university and no longer needs the help.

In its response to the university, the Co-op pointed to the variety of services and products the bookstore offers students and noted that it is “widely considered a leader in collegiate retailing and is held in high esteem by publishers and colleagues throughout the nation, including members of the National Association of College Stores and members of the American Booksellers Association.”

The response also stated that the Co-op is “an integral member of the UConn community,” as well as “a world-class bookstore with a lively roster of events that serves as the anchor to Storrs Center.” It went on to cite the store’s success in bringing authors to UConn’s various campuses; its work with student organizations; and its collaborations with faculty, departments, institutes, and cultural centers.”

Speaking to the Courant, Simpson said that the university should look at the full range of benefits and the full range of things the campus community values. “We feel if they do that that we will win the bid,” he told the Courant.