Little Goliath buys Big Goliath and freight rate increases – 
In a stunning move, Yellow Freight has made an agreement to purchase Roadway Express. The Little Big Guy (2.6 billion in sales) has purchased the big guy (3.1 billion in sales.)  A local sales representative who has been with Roadway for over 29 years says that it was the best kept secret in the industry. “We had almost no notice.” How do you keep a deal that big, that secret?  According to local chatter, the two freight behemoths only share approximately 30% of each others customer base.  The immediate thought is that Yellow will concentrate on regional and super regional freight and Roadway will maintain its dominance in long haul arena.
 
Rate Increase -
Most freight carriers have already, or will soon enact their annual rate increase. Increases over the past several years have averaged around 6% per year.  The cumulative build up is significant.  If you take 5% and add it to the base shipment (before discount: it adds greatly to a bookstore’s cost of goods.  An example would be to take a shipment that would have moved at $1000 gross (before discount) 10 years ago. Today, that same shipment would be in the $1650 range.  At a 60% discount the shipment 10 years ago would have cost approximately $400 while the shipment today would cost approximately $660, an increase of approximately 65%.
 
Online Food Store at Amazon.com -- 
As early as August you may be able to order food items at online retailer Amazon.com. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon will take a percentage of the orders processed through its site, but will leave the warehouse and shipping to its retail partners. (Source: Transport Topics)
 
Troll Communications phasing out –  
Troll, which filed Chapter 11 in May, was unable to find fresh financing and as a result, sold a majority of its assets to Scholastic. This strengthens Scholastic’s hold as the country’s largest school book operator. (Source: PW Newsline)
 
Used Books and Remainders showing up more and more in Frontline Stores -  
Used books and remainders can play a major role in an independent bookseller’s quest to increase the profit margin.  Read Village Books owners Dee and Chuck Robinson’s interview in Bookselling This Week (July 2 issue) at www.news.bookweb.org. It is article 1589.
 
Used Harry Potter Books sales up –  
The online used, rare and out-of-print book site, Abebooks.com, reported that the sale of used copies of Harry Potter books rose 300%  in June.  Marci Crossen of Abebooks.com said that even The Order of the Phoenix is available used, some going for as little as 45 cents and then some rare signed editions are going for between $200 and $50,000. (Source: PW Daily, July 7, 2003)
 
Larry Burkett, Author and Financial Counselor Dies – 
Well known Christian author and radio personality Larry Burkett died July 4.  He was 64 years old.  Burkett published more that 70 books including several national best-sellers. He was co-founder of Crown Financial Ministries in Gaines, GA where he lived.
 
Campus Crusade Founder  and Author no longer with us – 
Bill Bright, Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ passed away from complications related to pulmonary fibrosis.  He was 81 years old.  Bright wrote a booklet entitled “The Four Spiritual Laws” in 1956.  The booklet has been printed in 200 languages and distributed to over 2.5 billion people.  Campus Crusade employs 26,000 full time staff and is based in Orlando, Fl. (Source: The Christian e-tailing newsletter.)