Foreign publishers, retailers, suppliers and distributors encouraged to ‘be consumer-centric’

A panel discussion during the convention pondered the “myriad of challenges” facing international publishers, retailers, suppliers and distributors.

During CBA and Christian Trade Association International’s (CTAI) inaugural International General Session: International Business Vision, Chris Johnsen, founder of Christian Art Distributors based in South Africa, moderated a panel that discussed findings from an international business survey conducted by CBA and CTAI.

Panelists included Paul Bootes, managing director of Koorong, Australia’s largest Christian retailer; Modupe Ehirim, president of the Christian Booksellers Association Nigeria; Thomas Tang, general secretary of Christian Communications in China; and Melvin Rivera Velázquez, interim head of the new global Bible publishing unit of the United Bible Societies.

Johnsen noted a “myriad of challenges” facing suppliers and retailers outside North America, including the weakness of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar, a plethora of online and mobile options for shoppers, print-on-demand publishing and the continued growth of digital books.

“Christian retail has come to a fork on the road,” Johnsen said. “The day and age of the traditional retailer is over. We cannot determine the channel anymore. We must be consumer-centric.”

Comfort Tonkumoh Isokrari, managing director of Wisdom Books in Ikeja, Nigeria, agreed. 

“This made me understand what happens in other countries. We have very similar challenges. We’re all in this together.”

Mark Hutchinson, president and CEO of British Columbia, Canada-based Blessings, was the featured speaker during CTAI’s Global Worship Gathering.

Hutchinson developed a multimillion-dollar carpet-cleaning franchise, then sold it to Home Depot before entering the Christian products industry in 2006. Buying a bankrupt company with a $2.1 million debt, he took Blessings from a chain of 27 corporate and franchise stores to three physical outlets and an online store whose sales volume is a third of the larger former group.

Speaking from Matt. 25:14-28 about the parable of the talents, Hutchinson said: “We are all in sales; we are all farmers. Our goal is to sow seed, and sow it well where we have been planted.”

He then shared several ways how Christian retailers and suppliers can be good stewards in business, including identifying their biggest fear, being flexible, living their passion, crafting a marketing message and being creative.

“Serve well, but not pushy,” Hutchinson said. “Humility underpins everything. … People buy people before any product or service.”

Michael Berghof, publisher of Copenhagen Publishing House in Copenhagen, Denmark, said Hutchinson gave “a very well-thought and practical introduction to what it means to be Christians in business.” 

“It’s not a journey without struggles and problems, but a journey where God is with us and wants to use us as His good stewards,” he told Christian Retailing.

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