Dave and Adam show offer their new signage made possible with a matching grant from Upper Deck
Hobby Musings: UD’s co-op program gives shops a boost – Many initiatives were announced last month at Upper Deck’s inaugural Certified Diamond Dealer Conference. One in particular should have retailers pretty excited.
Upper Deck has been well-known in their efforts to give hobby shops a helping hand. An example of that is their co-op program. This innovative concept can help provide retailers necessary funding for various store upgrades.
For more information on the program, I had the chance to catch up with Upper Deck’s Chris Carlin to find out more. The following interview was conducted via email.
KS: How can Upper Deck’s co-op program help hobby stores and what exactly does it entail?
CC: The newest program our President Jason Masherah announced at the 2017 Certified Diamond Dealer Conference allows for shops to take advantage of a huge pool of funds to improve their business.
- Shops interested in making improvements to their business are eligible to receive up to $10,000 in matched funds from Upper Deck. Improvements obviously need to include areas where Upper Deck products will be front and center to the customer and may include Upper Deck specific signage.
- Shops interested in improving their online presence are eligible to receive up to $10,000 in matched funds from Upper Deck. Improvements will need to include prominent placement for Upper Deck products, graphics and call outs.
- Shops interested in opening a second store are eligible to receive up to $25,000 in matched funds from Upper Deck. Again, Upper Deck graphics, signage and displays will need to be a key element to this expansion project for the shops.
These funds are not total, but eligible for each and every shop that chooses to take advantage of them AND shops could potentially take advantage of more than one of these pools of funds. They need to be a Certified Diamond Dealer to qualify and then take their proposals to their Authorized Upper Deck Distributor to get started.
KS: Why did the company decide to begin the program?
CC: Upper Deck is the only manufacturer that runs a co-op program. We take a portion of our profits to reinvest in the hobby category to help shops grow. If we do not make this investment in the category, how can we expect the industry to grow?
KS: Out of all the co-op programs Upper Deck offers, which is the most popular among shops?
CC: We have only ran the store improvement program previously, but now we are excited to see which shops will work to take advantage of these other pools for website development and expansion with new shops.
KS: Do you have favorite memory or success story of a shop that was positively influenced by the program?
CC: When Dave & Adams opened some of their new locations, we worked with them to help out with their store signs. It was cool to visit their superstore for the All-Star Game and see that. We’ve helped out dozens of shops with signs to help make it abundantly clear that trading cards are sold inside.
KS: If there are any shops out there that would be interested in taking advantage of the program, how can they do so?
CC: They need to develop a business plan of exactly what they want to do, what their budget is and how they can incorporate Upper Deck in the program. Then they would submit that to their Authorized Upper Deck Distributor who will get the ball rolling on making it happen. It’s as simple as that!
Editor’s Note – Retailers, if you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, please submit your business plan to your GTS Representative.
Hobby Musings: UD’s co-op program gives shops a boost
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