Bookseller Dymocks is facing the economic downturn by growing sales and extending plans to expand into the south island next year.
Andrew Howard, general manager Dymocks says, “We are trading ahead of last year’s sales on a same store basis. It seems that when times start to get tough, people are keener than ever to escape into a good book.”
In addition to increased revenue, the company announced the launch of a new branding and visual identity, which will roll out this month. Howard says, “New uniforms and consumer shopping bags will be introduced in the New Year. Dymocks has been around for 130 years. The re-branding is necessary because Dymocks wants to offer its customers a more modern, contemporary book-buying experience.”
The company’s Lambton Quay store is currently undergoing a major re-design and the south island store is expected to open early in 2009. Howard adds, “That will give us 10 stores in total, which means we will have doubled in size in New Zealand in just over a year.
Dymocks in New Zealand has nearly doubled in size in under a year. Howard believes the company has good reason to be upbeat about the state of the retail market for books. He concludes, "While, in the current economy, people might not be buying big ticket items like furniture and plasma televisions, they are still willing to buy smaller items like books and DVDs as a treat for themselves."
