Musicland's Suncoast video retail chain is adding 240-unit manga spinners to all of its 395 existing locations beginning this week. The rack will feature both spine-out and face-out displays for manga trade paperbacks, as well as two magazine racks. Over 50% of the titles featured will be Viz titles, according to a Viz spokesperson, including Animerica (currently Suncoast's best-selling magazine title) in one of the magazine pockets, and trade paperback collections of DBZ, Gundam, Ranma, and Inu Yasha, among others with anime connections.
Suncoast had previously put Tokyopop's 'authentic left to right' displays into its stores (see 'Comic Publishers Upbeat at BEA') as its first foray into manga. Viz indicates that it will be placing books in both formats (right to left and left to right) in the new,more permanent Suncoast manga fixtures.
ICv2 asked Viz whether a similar rack program was being developed for other specialty retail chains, or for independent retailers. While both were espoused as goals, there were no announcements ready on either.
