THE Australian consumer’s love affair with online shopping has finally caught up with the old world of traditional bookselling, as Borders and the 125-year-old Angus & Robertson chain were placed into voluntary administration last night. The failure of the group, which also owns New Zealand’s Whitcoulls outlets of books and stationery stores, puts in doubt more [...]
Continue reading...7. March 2011
With REDgroup Retail entering into voluntary administration last week, RetailBiz caught up with book chain Dymocks’ CEO Don Grover to see whether they were feeling the pressure of online shopping. “We’re no where near it,” Grover said. “No doubt retailers are finding the current retail environment tough and online shopping is posing a challenge, but we’re in [...]
Continue reading...7. March 2011
ONE day it will be taught in economics courses as proof of the futility of protection. In 2009, the federal cabinet rejected a Productivity Commission report that recommended an opening of the Australian book market. All the economic ministers argued for reform. It was defeated narrowly. As a result, your local bookshop was banned from importing [...]
Continue reading...22. November 2009
Read and listen to some of the recent media coverage on our National broadcaster, ABC. ABC’s PM programme with Mark Colvin and two pieces in Art News – one and two
Continue reading...20. November 2009
Read the various articles and opinion pieces from Australian media: SMH Business The Australian Politics The Australian Opinion
Continue reading...18. November 2009
The former federal Treasure, Peter Costello responds to other opinions and has his say (taken from the Sydney Morning Herald). Bob Carr has been opining about how the parallel import rules make books more expensive and how the federal Labor Government should have adopted the recommendations of the Productivity Commission to abolish them. It is hard to [...]
Continue reading...12. November 2009
The Coalition for Cheaper Books said it would step up its campaign to scrap unfair import restrictions on books after the Federal Government’s decision today not to reform the system which keeps book prices high. Coalition member and Dymocks Chief Executive Officer, Don Grover, said Cabinet’s decision to ignore a recommendation from its main economic adviser the [...]
Continue reading...12. November 2009
Originally published in The Age. In the 19th century, Australian booksellers could import books from anywhere. As a result they got the best prices and best value for money. Then British colonial publishers pushed through a law that effectively required booksellers to buy from British publishers and no one else. In other words, an import monopoly was [...]
Continue reading...5. November 2009
The Government is now considering the recent Productivity Commission Report recommending the removal of parallel importation protection on books. This system was last modified in 1991, when the 30 and 90 day rules were introduced. Under these rules a publisher establishes their protection from parallel importation of a book if they publish it in Australia [...]
Continue reading...24. September 2009
Well-known Australian writer, broadcaster, historian and political commentator, Ross Fitzgerald has argued for the removal of parallel importation restrictions in the latest edition of the SPECTATOR AUSTRALIA.
Continue reading...
7. March 2011
0 Comments