The mail rooms and print shops were already taken over by Ricoh, but it turns out that the company will also assume management of the RUG store, currently located on the Oude Kijk in ‘t Jatstraat. Once the store has moved to the building that formerly housed the Studystore, the company will step in.

The university expects sales of RUG items to increase once a professional party takes over, says spokesperson Gernant Deekens. ‘This was an extra option in the European tender for the RUG’s print shops. Ricoh has learned a lot about selling merchandise from other customers’, he says.

Products

According to shop manager Erik Vermeeren, customers will not notice much of a difference. The university’s communications department will continue to be in charge of the products being sold.

However, there will be some changes behind the scenes. The shop manager himself will be employed by Ricoh. ‘I will have my first meeting about that on Wednesday. It will offer me opportunities to grow’, he says.

Moreover, students will become more involved in what products the shop is selling. ‘We’re going to have students, international students, and faculties brainstorm about what should be in the store. We’ll have more consistency and structure. We’ll also be asking students from the Faculty of Economics and Business to develop products’, says Vermeeren.

Sustainable

After the move, the RUG shop will also make the switch to sustainable products. The sweatshirts, mugs, pencils, and shoelaces will be made from ‘green’ materials. Whether the store itself is all that environmentally friendly remains to be seen. The new building will be less spacious, which means that the stock will also disappear. Vermeeren: ‘We will have our supplier, Gemaco BV, come by with new products two or three times a week.’