Workshop speakers set out to equip and educate retailers at CBA's NEXT 2013 event, being held at AmericasMart in Atlanta.

Running Jan. 9-10, NEXT features multiple speakers at workshops on inventory management, category marketing, in-store events, cause marketing and navigating AmericasMart for The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market, which many retailers plan to attend following the CBA training event, which concludes today.

In the Inventory Management session, Mark Hutchison, president of Canadian chain Blessings, offered tips on merchandising, product selection, marketing and measuring non-moving inventory. In picking "key, hot titles" retailers can get behind with an all-out push, he said Blessings moved 3,000 books of Billy Graham's Nearing Home (Thomas Nelson). In church supplies, Blessings sold a remarkable 1.85 million communion cups in one year and now has its own logo on the communion cup box.

Candace Tucker, manager and buyer at CLC Bookcenter's Center City store in Philadelphia, and Eli Hochstetler, owner of Gospel Book Store in Berlin, Ohio, the heart of Amish country, also added their thoughts on inventory management. Tucker emphasized ordering from various sources in order to accommodate the customer and not being afraid to upcharge for special handling. Hochstetler noted the value of not simply relying on the computer to keep track of inventory, but for store staff to truly know the placement of particular titles on the shelves.

Click here for more information on CBA’s NEXT 2013.