VenHub and Follett to roll out 24/7 autonomous stores on US college campuses
The partnership with North America’s largest campus retailer sets up a framework to deploy VenHub’s fully autonomous Smart Stores across Follett-served universities.
Autonomous retail specialist VenHub Global and Follett Higher Education have formed a strategic partnership to open 24/7 VenHub Smart Stores on college and university campuses in the US. Follett is the largest campus retailer in North America.
Rather than a single pilot, the agreement sets out a model for rolling out the automated format across Follett’s campus network. Stores can be placed in residence halls, student centres, sports facilities, arenas, transit areas and satellite campuses. Each deployment will be planned with the institution and can carry its own colours, logos and branding.
The Smart Stores will stock many of the categories found in Follett’s campus shops, including convenience products and everyday essentials, officially licensed apparel and gifts, and seasonal, event and game-day merchandise. The aim is to give students, staff and visitors access to these products in the evenings, at weekends and on event days, when traditional campus stores may be closed.
“Together, we are creating a scalable autonomous retail channel that can expand the deployment of our Smart Stores across college and university campuses,” said Shahan Ohanessian, founder and CEO of VenHub. The company already operates Smart Stores at high-traffic sites such as Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Union Station.
“Our partnership with VenHub provides an opportunity to extend the campus retail experience beyond the campus store,” said Emmanuel Kolady, CEO of Follett Higher Education.
The rollout will start at Follett-served campuses in the US, with the potential to expand to campuses in other countries over time.
