The judges were looking for consistently high standards, commercial success and all-round excellence in the business.
The 88 Paper Plus shops nationally were judged on criteria such as operational excellence, commercial sustainability as well as service and the physical shop.
Judges said Paper Plus Gisborne demonstrated an understanding of community and how books and associated material had a role to play in unifying a population.
“Being part of a national chain is not a guarantee for success, particularly in Gisborne, which has been disrupted significantly in the past year and a half. Gisborne Paper Plus has cemented its place as a defacto community hub as well as a great place to buy books.”
Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand association manager Renee Rowland was delighted for each of this year’s winners in what has been a challenging year for booksellers.
“Booksellers, like most retailers, are impacted by the softening in sales across the motu. The winners celebrated this evening have all pushed the boat out, working extremely hard, as all our bookseller members do, to ensure success now and in the future. On behalf of the association, I thank and salute you all,” Rowland said.
Untouchable Girls: The Topp Twins Story by Jools and Lynda Topp won the Nielsen BookData NZ Award for the bestselling New Zealand title at the awards.
Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker (Pan MacMillan) won the Nielsen BookData NZ International Bestseller Award.
These awards were among 15 honours presented to booksellers, publishers and book trade stalwarts for excellence, success and innovation in work carried out in the industry between April 2023 and March 2024.
The awards have been running for over 20 years.
