Top 100 CEO Interviews
Issue No. 64 - April/May 2012
Campion pushes ebook envelope
National scholastic supplies distributor, Campion Education, is pushing the boundaries of electronic product delivery – and would move faster if education policy could keep up!
The long-established South Australian company ranked 49th in the 2011 SA Top 100 Companies Index with a turnover of nearly $87 million.
“Educational material for schools and students is certainly becoming more focused on electronic methods, both in the products people are buying and the way they are purchasing school supplies,” says CEO, James Cathro.
“The number of parents utilising our online purchasing system has continued to increase, up over 20% from last year.
“Campion is also experiencing an increase in enquiries and requests for electronic text books, supporting our investment this year in new technology to assist in the provision of eBook solutions.”
In many cases Campion hosts eBooks on behalf of schools, largely taking the responsibility for management and distribution away from schools and dealing direct with their students and their parents.
This an example of how Campion has modified its approach to market to keep up with the shape of demand.
“We know some of our competitors are struggling to retain business and adapt to changing market conditions. We know we need to keep innovating and providing quality services to remain ahead of the pack in the future,” James says.
“The growth in online trading is certainly affecting all businesses and Campion is not immune to this trend. We have for many years provided an online ordering system that continues to grow in popularity. We were the first in our industry to develop this and it makes the process of ordering schools books and supplies very convenient.
“I see that schools and students will be demanding greater access to electronic services in the future, be it in the shape o...
