Nanmeebooks branches into tutorial schools
Nanmeebooks, a leading publisher and the operator of the Wankaew and Nanmee bookstore chains, is diversifying into children's tutorial schools to compensate for a decline in its core business.
Deputy managing director Kim Chongsatitwatana said yesterday that last month the company opened its first tutorial school, “Go Genius”, at Paradise Park shopping mall on Srinakarin Road. The school is near one of its Nanmee bookstores.
Kim declined to comment on how much investment went into this new business but said she hoped it would be part of the company’s future. It also expects to expand the schools through franchises in the provinces in the near future.
Go Genius school provides three main programmes for two groups of students, those aged between three and six years and those aged from six to 12.
The programme for the first group, called “Kiddy Genius”, aims to develop physical and mental readiness for the children before they attend primary school.
For the second group, the school has prepared a programme that provides fun science experiments, while another programme, called “Maths-Whizz”, aims to improve skills in mathematics. For this math-related programme, the company acquired the rights to a British online programme.
Kim said the school was able to accommodate up to 250 students a day. The tutorial fees start at Bt3,800 per month. Each course takes around three months.
Through this new business, the company expects to sell more children’s books that are related to the programmes at the school.
Kim admitted that the book-publishing business was facing an uncertain future, and failing to diversify could have meant unpredictable risks.
Spreading risk
“To spread the risk, diversifying into the tutorial-school business appears to be an answer for us,” she said.
Apart from this, Nanmeebooks will continue to rebrand its Nanmee bookstores as Wankaew Children Bookshops. Yesterday the company opened its fourth Wankaew branch at its head office on Sukhumvit Soi 31 in Bangkok. This branch was renovated from a Nanmee bookstore with an investment of Bt10 million. The other three Wankaew branches are in CentralPlaza Rama 3, Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai.
Wankaew is the country’s first bookstore chain targeting only children and families. Of the 30,000 titles on sale, 90 per cent are for children and the rest for parents and other adult family members. It also imports international children’s and parenting books.
Kim said the company planned to renovate four branches at Paradise Park, at CentralWorld shopping complex, at Chamchuri Square and in the Ekamai area in the next couple of years.
By end of this year, Nanmeebooks targets Bt700 million in revenue, up 10 per cent from last year.
