Diamond Timeline Chronicles 35 Years of Service, Success

 

Much has happened to shape the comic industry in the last three and a half decades, and Diamond Comic Distributors has been proud to be a part of that evolution. To continue our celebration of 35 years of service to comic books specialty retailers and vendors around the world, Diamond Daily presents this timeline of highlights from Diamond’s illustrious history.  

2017

 

• Diamond’s Retailer Services Department celebrates 20 years of providing Diamond customers with centralized “One-Call Customer Service” for placing orders, reporting & resolving service issues and more.

2016

 

• Diamond continues to implement its multimillion-dollar plan of Distribution Center expansions and upgrades by relocating the Plattsburgh, NY, center to a 108,000 square feet – more than twice the size of the previous facility — and introducing numerous enhancements and innovations to the Olive Branch, MS, center designed to increase storage capacity, increase throughput capacity and increase accuracy.

Diamond’s Retailer Services Website introduces a number of new features in 2016, including:

• A new FOC Upload Tool that allows customers to download a CSV file containing titles on Final Order Cut-off (FOC) for a current week or month, adjust their orders for those titles, then upload the amended file back to Diamond.

• Account-Specific Incentive Variant Quantity Information from Diamond’s Retailer Services Website, which notifies retailers of the exact quantities required to order of a title in order to qualify for incentive editions where qualification is based on matching or exceeding orders of a prior issue.

• Enhanced Reorder Search Features, including the ability to enter multiple-word criteria in a string (similar to Google), select list or picture gallery views and more.

• The ability to view Order History — previously accessible on item detail pages accessed from the website’s Item Search — on the website’s Initial Order & Reorder Pages

• ComicSuite Lite — which offers some popular features of the full ComicSuite point of sale system — including order placement, subscription maintenance, subscription/special order pull list generation and more — is released.

• The all-new PREVIEWSworld.com delivers exciting features to make it more mobile friendly and to create a destination for consumers looking for news & information on products coming to comic shops, including new releases, each month’s PREVIEWS preorder catalog, articles, interviews and more.

• Diamond welcomes ComicWOW! as its media marketing hub, responsible for creating promotional videos, unboxings, game demos and other content to showcase titles and products in unique & creative ways.

2015

 

• Diamond expands its Olive Branch operations by taking on 75,000 additional square feet of space adjacent to its main 600,000 square foot facility, used for reorder processing and inventory storage.

• New to Order is introduced to offer new products to retailers on a daily basis, giving them a chance to order new items immediately and allowing Diamond to alert retailers on a timelier basis about new products being distributed. They, in turn, can share that information more quickly with their customers to make their businesses more competitive and more profitable.

• Comic Folder T-Boxes are introduced to help retailers ship orders of up to approximately 20 comics or a standard size graphic novel or TP. Constructed of durable, lightweight cardboard, the boxes protect books against potential damage when easily assembled.


• On Order Notifications – an information column designed to help retailers reduce the potential for duplicating orders — are added to the Initial Order Page of Diamond’s Retailer Services Website.

• Diamond invoicing begins carrying itemized freight charges for weekly shipments and direct ship reorders, as well as the amount of any freight credits a customer’s account has accrued.

2014

 

• Diamond introduces the Product Updates Email, which replaces the print Diamond Dateline newsletter.

• Diamond offers improved pricing on Hasbro toy products, with significantly lower costs, lower SRPs, and net pricing that counts toward discount plateaus. Diamond would later offer single cases at lower prices that were once available only at volume discounts.

• Diamond UK’s new, improved website offers UK retailers the ability to create initial PREVIEWS orders, view invoices & account history, receive breaking news & product information, and much more.

• Alliance announces the opening of a Canadian division, which brings the company’s marketing, promotions, and distribution expertise to a wider audience and to providing even better service across North America.

2013

 

• For greater retailer convenience and greater processing efficiency, returns are centralized at Diamond’s Olive Branch Distribution Center.

2012

 

• Diamond inaugurates the Retail Best Practices Awards, which were established to identify and honor comic book and specialty hobby store retailers serviced by Diamond who demonstrate “best practices” in their stores, thereby offering their patrons and community a consistently appealing shopping experience.

• The first Halloween ComicFest is held, helping position comic shops as places to haunt during the lucrative Halloween sales season.

• Diamond teams with leading suppliers to offer retailers incentives for expanding their businesses, as well as subsidies up to $6750 for purchasing RMH/ComicSuite Point-of-Sale equipment.

• Diamond’s Retailer Services Website adds data files for in-stock GNs & Collections, along with PRO numbers for tracking LTL shipments.

• Diamond’s Retailer Services Website receives numerous upgrades to better serve customers, including a My Accounts menu, Item Detail Pages, improved Search functionality and much more.

2011

 

 

• Diamond launches Day-Early Delivery.

2010

 

 

• Diamond launches kidscomics.com to direct young readers and their parents to kid-friendly comic shops across the United States and Canada.

 

2009

 

 

• Diamond upgrades its Retailer Services Website with better news and product detail information.

2008

 

 

• PREVIEWS catalog celebrates 20 years of “the Comic Shop’s Catalog.”

• PREVIEWSWorld.com debuts on the web.

• Diamond’s Olive Branch Distribution Center opens with 600,000 square feet of space  and a state-of-the-art Warehouse Management System.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007

 

 

• Diamond’s ComicSuite Point-of-Sale software is announced.

 

 

 

2005

 

 

• Diamond opens its second Memphis Distribution Center

 

2004

 

 

• The Comic Shop Locator Service gets a new online home: comicshoplocator.com.

• The first Final Order Cut-off Form is posted on Diamond’s Retailer Services Website, allowing retailers to raise or lower their orders up until the publisher sets its print run.

2002

 

 

• Diamond teams with retailers and publishers for the first Free Comic Book Day, designed to attract new customers to comic shops and expose them to what comics has to offer.

 

• The Diamond Daily e-newsletter begins delivering daily news, product information, sales, and more.

• Diamond Book Distributors is founded to service the growing demand for comics and graphic novels in the book trade.

 

2001

 

 

• Diamond and Alliance start their annual Retailer Summits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Through Alliance, certain assets of west coast distributors Berkeley Distributors and Barchetta Distribution are acquired, giving Alliance a strong national presence.

• PREVIEWS on Windows joins Diamond’s roster of online ordering tools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Diamond’s Retailer Services Website expands with the addition of Reorders Online.

2000

 

 

• The selected assets and liabilities of  Alliance Games Distribution are purchased, and Alliance Game Distributors becomes a major operating division of Diamond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Online Ordering becomes available on Diamond’s Retailer Services Website. 

• The Diamond Bookshelf offers librarians, teachers, and other education professionals information on how comics and graphic novels can become a dynamic and positive addition to classrooms and libraries.

 

 

 

 

 

1999

 

 

• Diamond’s Vendor Services Website opens.

 

1998

 

 

• Diamond Online’s Retailer Services Area, the forerunner of today’s Retailer Services Website, goes live.

1997

 

 

• Marvel Comics signs an exclusive agreement with Diamond to service specialty market retailers.

• Diamond introduces “One Call Does It All” centralized, personalized customer service, as well as its Order Adjustment program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1996

 

 

• Diamond acquires selected assets of its largest competitor, Capital City Distribution.

• Diamond launches the toll-free Comic Shop Locator Service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1995

 

 

• Reflecting significant changes in the comic industry, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics and Image Comics choose Diamond to be their exclusive sales agent to comic specialty retailers.

1994

 

 

• Diamond acquires selected assets of New York-based distributor Comics Unlimited, Ltd.

• The Reorder Universe, which will ultimately evolve into Diamond’s massive inventory hub, opens.

1993

 

 

• Diamond acquires England-based Titan Distributors Ltd., consolidates U.K. operations and becomes Diamond Comic Distributors (UK).

1992

 

 

• Diamond’s Star System, which will evolve into the PREVIEWS Backlist Service, begins operation, allowing retailers access to quick-shipping of over 8,000 graphic novels and backlist products.

1991

 

 

• Diamond UK, Ltd. begins operations in the U.K., leading to the acquisition of England based distributor Pacific Distribution, Ltd.

1990

 

 

• Diamond acquires selected assets of Seattle-based distributor Destiny Distribution and takes over the operations of Oregon’s Second Genesis.

1988

 

 

• Diamond establishes a national presence with the acquisition of Bud Plant.

• Diamond’s monthly PREVIEWS catalog begins to evolve from a simple title-listing to the “industry bible” it is today.

 

 

 

1982

 

 

• Diamond takes over operations of New Media Irjax’s Boston and Tampa Distribution Centers.

• With the support of fellow retailers, Geppi incorporates Diamond Comic Distributors with one warehouse and 17 retail customers.

1974

 

 

• Geppi leaves the USPS to open his first store, Geppi’s Comic World, which operated out of the basement of a TV repair shop.

1973

 

 

• While working as an USPS letter carrier, future Diamond President and CEO Steve Geppi buys his first comic book price guide, and realizes his long-standing hobby of collecting comics could become a profitable undertaking.