The Australian Booksellers Association has changed its name, rebranding itself BookPeople.
In an announcement to members, BookPeople said that the new name resulted from "extensive workshopping and discussion" about "positioning ourselves to be a successful and future-facing organisation." Those deliberations determined that "our direction was to be the place where Bookselling Business meets Bookselling Culture." Qualities of importance included "generosity--to be supportive and assured as sustainable and strategic retail partners for our members" as well as "Nurturing a Prosperous Future, Better Bookselling, Trusted Industry Voice, and Strategic Bookselling, ultimately sitting with the statement that Bookshops are Transformational."
Already the association's website and social media pages have changed so that, for example, the new website URL is bookpeople.org.au; e-mail addresses will change; BookPeople will be added to newsletters and other material, and the Booksellers Choice name will be replaced.
BookPeople emphasized that the organization hasn't changed. "We will work on the day-to-day and specific projects as always and remain your association, but with a contemporary consumer-facing brand. With its connotations of personal and professional, BookPeople represents booksellers' uniqueness, individuality, and expertise."
Australian Booksellers Association remains the group's legal name.
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Waterstones' new warehouse system is now "stable and effective" but the chain needs to clear a backlog of orders before the "painful process" is over, according to COO Kate Skipper. The Bookseller reported that the retailer "has been battling problems since July, when it upgraded its stock distribution technology. Although it initially said it aimed to resolve the issues by the end of August, problems have persisted, causing a build-up of orders to bookshops that have left authors, customers and publishers frustrated."
Waterstones said it has been working with Blue Yonder, the company providing the new system, to resolve the problems after installation. "Blue Yonder over the last month have steadily addressed the warehouse system issues and believe it is now stable and effective," Skipper said. "They work now on the various data backlogs. Volumes being processed by the Hub are back to close to normal for this time of year, with our challenge to clear the physical backlog caused by the implementation issues.
"In short, we now have a working warehouse management system in place, but we require further improvements as the system data is cleared and warehouse congestion is relieved. Meanwhile, Christmas stock-build is well underway and already landing in our shops. Our sales in shops remain robust and we are very grateful for all the support our publishing partners continue to show throughout this painful process."
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David Thorp and Lynne Jones, co-owners of McLeods Booksellers in Rotorua, New Zealand, have decided to "sell up and retire" after 40 years in business, the Daily Post reported. Prue des Forges, who has worked part-time at McLeods for the past 18 months, is the new owner of the iconic bookshop, which has been in the Thorp family for 55 years.
"We're really pleased that it's staying in local hands," said Thorp, whose father, Trevor Thorp, bought the store in 1967 from its original owner, Ken McLeod. David Thorp joined the business in the late 1970s and took over its management in 1982. Over the years, the shop has moved several times.
"It's certainly an emotional wrench now letting go of it," Jones said. "I've got really mixed feelings now that we've finally sold it. It's just played such an important part in our lives and just been an amazing place to work all these years."
Noting that she felt "very privileged" to lead the iconic bookshop into a new era, des Forges said: "So, the next chapter in the story of McLeods begins--new owner, new shop, but the same great books and the same great staff--it's exciting to be a part of it." --Robert Gray