Kinko’s Plans to Link Electronically 650 Stores

Kinko’s Service Corp., Ventura-based parent of the Kinko’s Copy Center network, is refocusing its business strategy, abandoning the publishing of customized college course packets and concentrating instead on linking its 650 stores in an electronic “branch office” system.

The college packets, known as CourseWorks, are profitable but are being dropped so that all Kinko’s units can concentrate on the branch office concept, the company said.

The conversion, expected to be completed in two to three years, will allow Kinko’s customers to communicate with each other via computer networks, access data bases worldwide and transfer data and documents in any of the firm’s stores in the United States, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands, said Blaise Simqu, Kinko’s director of publishing. Video teleconferencing will also be available in all Kinko’s stores.

Kinko’s will continue to offer its traditional copying services in all stores, Simqu said, “but our studies tell us that electronic communication is the area where the future growth will be in this business.”

As of Dec. 31, he said, Kinko’s will discontinue the CourseWorks program that is available at about 150 stores on or near college campuses. The program offers reprints of articles, textbook excerpts and other material selected by instructors.

He noted, however, that Kinko’s is committed to continuing and in some cases expanding its campus stores. Among other things, desktop publishing will be offered in all campus units, he said.

Kinko’s has more than 300 employees at its headquarters on Ventura’s west side. More than 15,000 are employed at the network’s stores, owned by partnerships in which the parent company holds an interest.