QBD Books expands its national footprint to include much-loved Broadway bookstore
10 October 2023
The country’s largest Australian-owned and operated book retailer, QBD Books, has announced the next exciting chapter in its expansion, as it takes over operations of the former Dymocks store in Sydney’s Broadway Shopping Centre.
Grand opening celebrations at QBD Books Broadway will commence from 10am on Monday 13 November, as QBD officially announces its presence in one of Sydney’s
largest retail centres.
The opening of the 500sqm store will be attended by renowned nutritionist, author and Channel Seven Sunrise personality, Sarah Di Lorenzo, who will perform an official
ribbon-cutting alongside QBD Books CEO Nick Croydon and QBD Books National Manager Gary Parker-Shirley.
Other special guests dropping in to QBD Books Broadway during opening week include coastal scientist and beach safety researcher, Rob ‘Dr Rip’ Brander, Australian singerand interior designer, Belinda Chapple, ABC News journalist and thriller author, Tim Ayliffe, and model, actor and children’s author, Christian Wilkins.
The week will be rounded out by a book signing with bestselling crime fiction author Candice Fox, who will be in-store on Saturday 18 November.
Opening week at QBD Books Broadway will be capped off by huge sales and customer giveaways, and excitingly, the launch also coincides with QBD Books offering vinyl
records in-store for the first time, following a new partnership with Sony Music.
According to Mr Croydon, the company is dedicated to keeping bookstores open and bringing books to as many Australian households as possible.
“We’re proud to be a flagbearer for bricks and mortar bookstores, and in many locations, such as Broadway, we’ve been able to come in and ensure books have a continued presence in the community,” he explained.
“Broadway is an exciting location for us because of its proximity to some of Australia’s best universities – including the University of Sydney and University of Technology Sydney – and the avid readers amongst their student and lecturer populations.”
“At the same time, there’s no question that traditional bookstores are facing challenges, and the figures show that in the last ten years nearly half of all stores have closed – in
2013 there were 2,879 bookstores nationally, whereas today we only have 1,473.
“For us, when we bought QBD in October 2016, the company had a network of 55 stores, and I’m proud to say that in the last seven years we’ve been able to grow that figure to 86 stores, as we continue on our mission to reach 100 stores.”
With this in mind, Mr Croydon says bookstores still have a vital role to play in the Australian economy.
“Our industry is worth around $1.7B and supports over 10,000 jobs – and in fact, we’re now seeking new full-time and casual staff to join QBD Books Broadway in the leadup to the busy Christmas trading period,” he said.
“At the same time, our bookstores have become an avenue for associated industries to thrive, and to this end, we’re excited to announce that we are partnering with Sony
Music to stock vinyl records in up to 30 of our stores, including Broadway.We find that vinyl record consumers and book readers have similar interests, and so for us, the alignment with Sony is a natural fit.
“This adds another string to our bow, following the partnership we agreed in 2020 with Australian Geographic to stock their products in our stores, after the Curious Planet chain closed.”
Mr Croydon also flagged further investment in QBD bookstores nationally, with another opening planned in Melbourne before the end of the year, plus expansion and
refurbishment of stores across the QBD network.
To find out more about QBD Books, please visit: www.qbd.com.au
Store address:
QBD Books Broadway
Shop 118, Level 1, Broadway Shopping Centre
1 Bay St, Glebe NSW 2037
