The Cal Student Store will move up the street to a new location, where it is set to open Aug. 18 with a new vendor.
As the official campus store with the backing of the ASUC, the Cal Student Store will temporarily move from 2470 to 2560 Bancroft Way, a result of the change in vendor. It will occupy the former location of Copy Central until the completion of the Lower Sproul Redevelopment Project, scheduled for fall of next year.
The store was relocated to its current location, formerly occupied by Ned’s Berkeley Bookstore, from its on-campus site in February last year to accommodate the construction in Lower Sproul Plaza.
The ASUC Student Union switched vendors for the store after its contract with the Follett Corporation expired in the fall. BBA Solutions, which has been the temporary vendor since May, offered the greatest savings among the candidates on textbook prices for students, according to DeeJay Pepito, commercial space coordinator for the ASUC Student Union and former ASUC president.
According to Kelsey Finn, the ASUC Student Union’s executive director, students will still be able to get textbooks and a wide range of UC Berkeley apparel at the new Cal Student Store.
Follett, which will maintain its store in the current location, hopes to operate under the name Berkeley Student Store, but it requires approval from the campus. The store will sell the same type of products, including textbooks, as it did when it was supported by the ASUC, but it will service Samsung, Dell and ASUS products instead of Apple products.
While affiliated with the ASUC, Follett paid an annual commission of $1.75 million, according to Amanda Reese, director of Follett’s Berkeley store.
“We are excited about the new opportunities we will have,” Reese said. “No longer being affiliated with the ASUC opens us up to other opportunities for partnership in the campus and community.”
The long-term vendor for the store, which will move back on campus after the reopening of Lower Sproul Plaza, has yet to be decided.