HarperCollins to relocate NZ distribution to Australia

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 Books+Publishing

HarperCollins Australia and New Zealand has announced that it will relocate its New Zealand distribution to its Australian facilities in Moss Vale, New South Wales.

HarperCollins said in a statement that the move will take place at the end of July. Support services, including finance and customer service, will also be relocated to Australia.

In the statement, CEO James Kellow said that HarperCollins ‘remain[s] committed to publishing New Zealand books for New Zealand readers’ and will maintain ‘a local publishing program in the future’. He said the publisher will now begin a search for new premises in Auckland for its New Zealand publishing, sales and marketing communications staff, which will continue to be managed by Matthew Simpson and Sandra Noakes. Kellow said that general manager Graham Mitchell will stay with the company ‘until the transition of the business has been successfully completed’.

Kellow said that HarperCollins will provide ongoing updates to New Zealand customers about the move. ‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our wonderful staff for their loyalty and commitment to HarperCollins NZ over many years of successful publishing, and for their generous patience and understanding during this difficult time,’ said Kellow.

As previously reported by Books+Publishing, HarperCollins proposed moving its New Zealand distribution to Australia to staff at the end of May. Kellow said at the time that HarperCollins has seen ‘a significant rise in digital sales, mirrored by a decline in physical sales [and] we expect this trend to continue’. ‘As a consequence … it may no longer be viable for us to maintain a separate distribution facility in New Zealand,’ said Kellow.

Pearson has also recently announced changes to its New Zealand operations, with the publisher to closure its New Zealand educational publishing business by the end of August.

Category: Local news