In recent weeks, Drexel University Business Services announced two changes in campus retail offerings for the fall term: Saxby’s will be taking over the Starbucks in Gerri C. LeBow Hall, and the Barnes & Noble Bookstore will be closed and reopened under new management by Rally House and eCampus.
Starbucks fans need not fear: it will be moving across the street to the ground floor of 3151 Market Street. A seamless transition is expected, though it is not clear when that will occur.
“It’s truly an honor to grow with and serve the Drexel community,” Saxby’s CEO Nick Bayer posted on LinkedIn. The location will feature the cafe chain’s “experiential learning” model, where students are given the opportunity to manage operations for their co-op.
The University Bookstore is also set to change management. Long administered by Barnes & Noble Education, it will close on June 20 after commencement and reopen as “Rally House at Drexel University,” with textbooks and course materials offered through eCampus. It is not clear what will happen to any remaining merchandise.
“The University routinely solicits requests for proposal to create a fair basis for comparing vendors and solutions for the retail store and course materials services. Rally House and eCampus were the best-fit vendors for the services the University was seeking,” Amanda Noll of Drexel Business Services told the Triangle.
Students greeted the transition with cautious optimism. “[It’s] sad. Rally House will probably make better merch, though,” Kasey Shamis, a second-year communications major, remarked.
The bookstore will remain closed over the summer term with a soft re-opening planned for August ahead of the fall term.
For students enrolled in the summer quarter, Business Services announced by email that they would receive instructions to access course materials through eCampus.
It was not immediately clear why the partnership was ending; Business Services did not comment. Barnes & Noble Education is a separate company from chain bookseller Barnes & Noble, spun off in 2015, that operates university bookstores nationwide.