VenHub, Follett to partner on autonomous campus stores
Autonomous stores are coming to the nation's college campuses.
“Smart store” technology operator VenHub Global and Follett Higher Education, the largest campus retailer in North America and a leading educational service provider, are partnering to create a new 24/7 campus retail channel through the deployment of VenHub Smart Stores across Follett-served college and university campuses in the United States.
Rather than a single-location initiative, VenHub says the partnership establishes a framework for deploying VenHub’s automated retail format across a broad network of higher-education environments, including at residence halls, student centers, athletic facilities, arenas, transit areas, satellite campuses, and other high-traffic campus settings.
The campus locations are expected to offer convenience products and everyday essentials, officially-licensed apparel, accessories, and gifts, and seasonal, event and game-day merchandise.
“Follett has built an exceptional campus retail presence and a deep understanding of the products, services, and experiences that campus communities value,” said Shahan Ohanessian, founder and CEO of VenHub. “Together, we are creating a scalable autonomous retail channel that can expand the deployment of our Smart Stores across college and university campuses and help bring Follett’s trusted merchandise and campus essentials into more locations.”
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Each smart store deployment will be planned together with Follett’s campus partners and shaped by the needs of each campus. The store can be customized with the institution’s colors, logos and branding, positioning the store as a "natural extension" of the campus rather than a generic merchandise kiosk, according to VenHub.
“Campus communities expect convenient, flexible access to everyday essentials and campus-branded merchandise,” said Emmanuel Kolady, CEO of Follett Higher Education, which serves more than 1,000 colleges and universities across North America. “Our partnership with VenHub provides an opportunity to extend the campus retail experience beyond the campus store, working hand in hand with each institution to serve more students, faculty, fans, alumni, and visitors across campus."
