BOOGAART TO CONVERT 3 DEPARTMENTS

DAN ALAIMO

CONCORDIA, Kan. -- The Boogaart retail division of Scrivner here is switching video departments in three recently acquired stores from rack-jobber operations to its own franchised program, according to Matt Dillon, video director. The three stores were formerly owned by McCreary's, Goddard, Kan.

Boogaart now has 22 stores, all with video rental departments. Selection ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 tapes and game cartridges.

The largest of the three new departments is in a store in Goddard, said Dillon. It will be converted to the company's Entertainment Supermarket City format.

"Entertainment Supermarket City is a new concept, and it is a little more upscale," said Dillon. The format is franchised from Grocer's Video Systems, Olathe, Kan., as are all of Boogaart's video departments.

That department will occupy 600 square feet with 2,000 to 2,500 pieces of rental inventory, he said. The other two new departments will be in other Grocer's Video formats and will contain 1,500 rental units in about 300 square feet, he said.

Conversion of the Goddard store will mark Boogaart's fourth Entertainment Supermarket City department. The others are in Winfield, Clay Center and Beloit, Kan. The new format "has done very well for us," said Dillon. "It has doubled the rental and sales volume of the departments we have put it in.

"We want to get all our stores converted to the Entertainment Supermarket City format eventually. It is a real eye-catcher. People notice it as soon as they come in the store," he said. The format includes a larger new-release section, more video games for rent and more sell-through, said Dillon. The retailer also is putting in audio books for rental in its new format department and its other large stores. Boogaart is rolling out an electronics hardware sales program, also from Grocer's Video, to all its video departments, he said. Electronics Showcase involves a video catalog of hardware items, including VCRs, televisions, video game decks, stereos and vacuum cleaners. Customers take the video home and bring it back with a completed order form. The products are then delivered to the store within 24 hours.