Two Christian publishing leaders offered words of encouragement to Christian retailers in the face of the challenges the specialty stores have been presented by digital publishing and diverse sales channels.

Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt said that he saw "renewed opportunity" for stores that focused more on becoming a central place for their local community. "If it's about trying to deliver the good to the consumer, there are more efficient models of doing it," he said in an ECPA Summit open conversation with David C. Cook President and CEO Cris Doornbos.

But "we could see the renewal of local retail," said Hyatt, observing that some young adults were rejecting large chain businesses, preferring to go to local retailers instead. "There's a lot of opportunity," Hyatt said. "Retail is not dead, unless it wants to be dead."

Hyatt's comments came as he discussed industry issues with Doornbos in a session that saw him pass the chairmanship of the ECPA--which he has held for four years--to the Cook leader.

Doornbos said that while he believed that the future would be tough for chains, "retail has a really good future." Independents could be leaders in their local community, but sometimes got "swallowed up" by the administrative and business side of their stores, he observed.

"It also seems to me that those retailers who have been successful over the years have really good relationships with their local churches," Doornbos said. "I think there's lots of opportunities for local retail to do well, to stay healthy. It's still difficult, but if you can draw them back, people will come.

"I think Christian retail can stay healthy, but you have to make some pretty significant changes because it certainly looks like it's all going south now," he added.