STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP REDEFINED
Collegiate Retail is a strategic partner to college and university leaders seeking to reimagine retail on campus.
With 47 years in the field, our team combines assessments, strategic planning, and implementation to build relevance, profitability and synergy across retail channels — from the college store to online and event sales.
\ WHO WE ARE
A partner dedicated to growth
We are a passionate team powered by partnership, integrity and the shared purpose of reimagining the college store as the retailer for all of campus.
Working closely with campus leaders, we uncover audience, brand and business needs for self-operated and contract-managed college stores.
Our data-driven approaches focus on today’s shopping experience and marketplace realities to increase market share, reduce operating expenses, and ensure relevance in ways that drive sustainable growth.
\ OUR PHILOSOPHY TO RETAIL ON CAMPUS
What we believe
Strong relationships facilitate great work.
Four decades in college retail has shown us that open, honest dialogue with our clients facilitates great work. As we consult from our unique vantage points, we bring 47 years of experience to the circumstances our clients face. We believe close collaboration — informed by facts and proven best practices — generates fresh thinking and strategic solutions that drive sustainable growth.
You can’t solve today’s challenges with yesterday’s solutions.
The pandemic, generational shifts and online shopping have changed the game for campus stores. It is no longer enough to scour P&L statements for operational efficiencies. In today’s market, we must also reinvent the brand of college stores — what they offer, why they matter and how they work. By becoming integral players on campus, stores can dramatically increase their relevance and their profitability.
The store can be more.
In today’s polarizing national discourse, we believe campus stores have a unique opportunity to foster school spirit and academics in new ways — by supporting a sense of belonging for all students, families, faculty and staff. With thoughtful planning and collaborations, campus stores can support students and faculty of all backgrounds and contribute to a campus culture that values diversity, equity and inclusion.
Collaboration is profitable.
Colleges and universities can be siloed institutions with the campus store left to succeed on its own. We believe retail on campus offers unique opportunities: A campus store is both a key service center and a point of unity. By bringing together diverse stakeholders from across the campus community, we uncover unique opportunities to collaborate and create synergies that serve diverse needs and create new revenue streams.
\ OUR FOUNDER
Russell Markman founded Collegiate Retail after 47 years in leadership roles in higher education and retail.
He brings both the wisdom and energy of experience and a holistic, data-driven approach to create fresh solutions and drive tangible results for retail on campus. Russell has dedicated his career to forging enduring partnerships with college administrators and partners to redefine the role of the campus store as both a profit center and a means to unite diverse stakeholders behind a common purpose — serving their campus community with thoroughly engaging, purposeful retail solutions.
Before founding Collegiate Retail, Russell led teams at Barnes & Noble College for 18 years, first as a regional manager and then as a VP for strategic partnerships with responsibilities for all aspects of campus store success, including negotiating and signing $162 million in new accounts. Prior to Barnes & Noble College, Russell led teams at Wallace’s Bookstores, served as a store director at UC Berkeley under Follett Higher Education Group, and worked as a regional manager in the Carolina’s. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Magna Cum Laude, from California State University, Northridge and currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.