Overview NACS History

Headquartered in Oberlin, OH, the National Association of College Stores (NACS) is the professional trade association representing the $10 billion collegiate retailing industry. Led by a dedicated group of elected volunteers, NACS serves as the industry’s leading resource and advocate. NACS ensures the health and vitality of higher education retailers through education and research, the provision of critical programs and services, and the development of strategic partnerships that enable members to better serve their customers.

Membership
NACS members include more than 3,000 college stores throughout the United States, Canada, and more than 34 other countries, plus approximately 1,000 associate members who supply products and services to college stores.

Products and Services

NACS offers a wide variety of member benefits with an emphasis on research and information, advocacy, affinity programs, and networking opportunities. NACS education and professional development opportunities deal with the full spectrum of college store operations, including management, textbooks/course materials, merchandising, financial record-keeping, and more.

Important industry information and developments are communicated to members through a variety of sources, including: the NACS web site www.nacs.org; The College Store, a bi-monthly trade journal published since 1923; electronic discussion lists, and two weekly electronic newsletters: Campus Marketplace and CM Scan.

NACS’s annual meeting and exhibition, CAMEX (Campus Market EXpo), is the world’s largest trade show for the collegiate marketplace, typically attracting about 7,000 attendees.

NACS also hosts a number of special niche conferences as well.

Subsidiary Organizations

The NACS Foundation is the charitable arm of NACS that supports research and education. Primary activities include conducting and funding of industry research and educational programs and professional development grants for industry education, while also focusing on the future vitality of the college store industry through industry forms and summits.

NACSCORP LLC is a subsidiary organization of NACS. A wholesale distributor and retail services provider, NACSCORP was founded in 1963 to provide college stores with hard-to-find titles. Today NACSCORP offers a wide breadth of text and trade books as well as a full range of general merchandise and supplies to both college bookstores and independent booksellers.

PartnerShip LLC is another subsidiary organization of NACS. Begun in 1989 as a NACS member benefit designed to provide discounted freight service, today it serves as an independent third-party logistics management company on behalf of predominantly small- and medium-sized businesses, primarily through national trade associations.

Founded in 2013, indiCo strives to enhance the value of independent college stores for students and the campus community, helping adopt shared strategies and practices, introducing new retail opportunities, and providing leadership and innovation on the issues that are critical to independent store success.

Special Interest Groups

The Campus Computer Resellers Alliance (CCRA) is a special interest group within NACS that was developed to meet the special needs of computer product resellers that sell principally to students. CCRA holds an annual conference to offer campus computer resellers the opportunity to see the latest computer hardware and software available, and to participate in educational sessions, workshops and roundtable discussions on topics related to the industry.