What Coop UQAM does

Coop UQAM is a member-owned cooperative bookstore founded in 1981 and embedded on the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) campus. It serves UQAM students, faculty, staff, and the broader public through two physical retail locations (Librairie Jasmin at 405 rue Sainte-Catherine Est, which serves as the headquarters, and Librairie ESG at the business school) and a full e-commerce storefront. The cooperative is part of the COOPSCO network, comprising 40+ school cooperatives that collectively reach approximately 300,000 francophone students across Quebec universities, cégeps, and secondary schools.

The product portfolio spans physical and digital textbooks, course materials, stationery, art supplies, computer/IT products, and UQAM-branded promotional merchandise. Technology infrastructure centers on a ByteBooks-integrated DRM system for protected PDF and ePub digital publications, an adapted digital book platform (ePub 3 with accessibility features including adjustable fonts, contrast, text-to-speech, and interactive navigation), DRM-free MP3 audio books, and an online prescription management system that allows faculty to submit and track course material requirements. Payment processing runs through Netbanx and fulfillment uses Purolator for Canadian delivery.

Revenue mechanics include one-time retail product sales, a $25 lifetime membership fee granting up to 25% discounts and voting rights, licensed digital publications, corporate and institutional accounts with 30-day payment terms for UQAM departments and external collectives, and no-expiration gift cards. Governance follows Quebec cooperative law through an 11-member board (6 student seats, 3 staff seats, 2 external seats), with profits reinvested into services rather than distributed to shareholders.

Name

Coop UQAM

Legal name

Coop UQAM

Website

https://coopuqam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coop UQAM is a member-owned cooperative bookstore founded in 1981, operating two physical stores and an e-commerce platform on the UQAM campus in Montréal to sell textbooks, supplies, and digital publications to university students, faculty, and institutional accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Campus Bookstore Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459), Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (459410)

akta.pro primary industry

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Curriculum Repositories (EDAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning) (EDAGALAH)

Keywords

• Campus bookstore retail
• Educational supplies
• Academic textbooks
• Cooperative retail
• Digital publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal, Québec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Revenue from selling textbooks, course materials, books, stationery, art supplies, electronics, computers, accessories, and promotional items through physical retail locations and online store
2. Membership Fees: Lifetime membership fee of $25 (plus applicable taxes) that grants access to member discounts up to 25% on products
3. Digital Publications: Sales of digital textbooks and course notes in PDF and ePub formats with DRM protection
4. Corporate/Institutional Accounts: Business accounts for enterprises and collectives offering preferred pricing, 30-day payment terms, and customized delivery services
5. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold in-store with flexible amounts, no expiration, valid at both Librairie Jasmin and Librairie ESG locations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Coop UQAM is a member-owned cooperative bookstore operating physical retail locations and an e-commerce platform at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). It sells textbooks, course materials, stationery, art supplies, computers, accessories, and promotional items. The cooperative also offers digital publications (PDF, ePub), adapted accessible books (ePub 3), and MP3 audio books, supported by an online prescription management system for faculty.

Product overview

Coop UQAM operates as a campus cooperative offering a unified retail platform combining physical bookstores and an online e-commerce presence. The core product portfolio encompasses books (physical and digital), stationery, art supplies, computer/IT products, and promotional items branded with UQAM department logos. Supporting services include gift cards, an electronic recycling partnership with ERA, and a prescription management platform for instructors to submit course material requirements. The cooperative's two physical locations (Librairie Jasmin and Librairie ESG) serve distinct campus communities, while the online store provides universal access to the full product range. Notable specialized offerings include adapted digital books (ePub 3 format) and MP3 audio books designed for accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Livres (Books) Physical and digital textbooks, course materials, and general books available for purchase or rental through the cooperative's retail locations and online store. Targeted at UQAM students, faculty, and the general public.
• Papeterie (Stationery) School and office supplies including agendas, writing instruments, calculators, bags, cases, and accessories for academic and professional needs. Targeted at students and professionals.
• Matériel d'art (Art Supplies) Art materials and supplies for students and artists covering various creative disciplines and artistic needs.
• Informatique (Computer/IT Products) Technology products including accessories, bags, software, computers, audio equipment, and other electronic essentials for students and professionals.
• Articles promotionnels (Promotional Items) Branded merchandise featuring UQAM department logos including frames, pens, mugs, clothing, and other promotional items displaying university branding. Targeted at UQAM community and corporate customers.
• Livres numériques adaptés (Adapted Digital Books) Accessible ePub 3 format digital books designed for people with visual, physical, or learning disabilities. Features adjustable font size, contrast settings, text-to-speech, and interactive table of contents navigation.
• Livres audio MP3 (MP3 Audio Books) Audio books in MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM). Can be played on any audio application or program supporting audio files, offering an alternative reading method for users with reading challenges.
• Publications numériques (Digital Publications) Protected digital publications (PDF and EPUB formats) accessible through ByteBooks authentication. Includes digital textbooks and course notes with various access controls and download periods of 36 months.
• Cartes cadeaux (Gift Cards) Gift cards available in fixed-value amounts with no expiration date. Valid for in-store purchases at both Jasmin and ESG locations. Balance and transaction history can be checked online.
• Service de recyclage ERA (Electronic Recycling Service) Partnership with Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) offering responsible electronic waste recycling. Accepts old electronic devices and consumables for environmentally-friendly disposal, with some equipment potentially refurbished and redistributed.
• Prescriptions (Course Material Prescription System) Online platform for teachers to submit required and recommended course materials. Enables prescription management, tracking, and the ability to copy previous prescriptions for upcoming semesters.
• Lifetime Cooperative Membership Lifetime membership program at $25 CAD ($23.18 plus applicable Quebec taxes) that grants up to 25% member discounts on products and voting rights in cooperative governance.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fédération québécoise des coopératives en milieu scolaire (FQCMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1944Coop UQAM is a member of the FQCMS, a federation supporting cooperative presence in educational establishments across Quebec since 1944. The federation provides services and activities helping member cooperatives better serve students and university communities.
• COOPSCO NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoop UQAM is part of the COOPSCO network comprising 40+ cooperatives in school environments. The network facilitates collective buying power and administrative support, reaching nearly 300,000 francophone students across Quebec universities, cégeps, and secondary schools.
• Electronic Recycling Association (ERA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for responsible electronics recycling. ERA enables the cooperative to offer computer and electronics recycling services at Librairie Jasmin, ensuring equipment is recycled responsibly with some devices potentially being redistributed to those in need.
• ByteBookscoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital rights management and authentication platform for protected digital publications. ByteBooks provides the authentication system for PDF and ePub files sold on the cooperative's website, replacing Adobe IDs as of June 2026.
• Café CampusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner offering exclusive benefits to Coop UQAM members: free entry on Retro Tuesdays with membership card presentation.
• ATUVU.caminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural events platform partner offering Coop UQAM members a free one-month VIP subscription with access to discounted event prices and free admission to select cultural events.
• Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for Coop UQAM. The cooperative is anchored at UQAM and serves its student, faculty, and staff community through dedicated retail locations on campus.
• École des sciences de la gestion (ESG UQAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness school within UQAM that hosts a dedicated Librairie ESG location serving ESG students and professionals.
• Presses de l'Université du Québec (PUQ)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUniversity press publisher whose books are distributed through Coop UQAM locations.
• Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC)minorOthersQuebec government agency supporting cultural enterprise development. Listed as a partner organization supporting the cultural mission.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Amazon: Global e-commerce giant and dominant player in online textbook and book sales. Competes with Coop UQAM primarily through price, selection, and convenience on digital and physical textbook purchases, pressuring margins across the university bookstore category.
• Indigo Books & Music: Canada's largest book and lifestyle retailer operating physical stores and a major e-commerce platform. While not focused on university textbooks, Indigo competes broadly with Coop UQAM for general book, stationery, and gift sales across the Canadian francophone market.

Emerging players

• RedShelf: Digital textbook platform specializing in e-textbook delivery and courseware for higher education institutions. Directly comparable to Coop UQAM's digital publication offering with similar institutional sales motion and DRM-based content distribution.
• Chegg: US-listed digital education platform specializing in textbook rental, e-textbooks, and study resources with a strong university student user base. Represents a digital-native threat to Coop UQAM's textbook and course material business, particularly with North American university students.
• VitalSource: Digital textbook delivery platform serving universities and publishers globally, including accessibility features similar to Coop UQAM's LNA offering. Comparable in digital distribution infrastructure and institutional partnerships, posing a competitive threat on e-textbook delivery.

Direct peers

• Archambault: Quebec retail chain offering books, music, electronics, and stationery through physical stores and online channels. Overlaps with Coop UQAM in textbook, stationery, and electronics categories and competes for the same Quebec francophone consumer market.
• Renaud-Bray: Major Quebec-owned bookstore chain selling books, stationery, and gift items across multiple retail locations and online. Directly competes with Coop UQAM in the Quebec French-language book and stationery retail market, with overlapping customer base and product mix.
• Buropro Citation: Quebec-based office supplies, stationery, and book retailer with both physical stores and e-commerce presence. Comparable to Coop UQAM in serving institutional and academic customers with office and stationery products, including corporate accounts with credit terms.

Others

• Presses de l'Université du Québec: University press publisher of academic books whose titles are distributed through Coop UQAM. As a content partner and supplier rather than direct competitor, the relationship illustrates how Coop UQAM serves as a critical distribution channel in the Quebec academic publishing ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coop-uqam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coop UQAM