Dymocks appoints Cox as MD

Dymocks Booksellers has announced the appointment of Steve Cox to the role of managing director.

Cox has worked with the bookselling chain since 2011 in the role of general manager of buying, marketing and operations. His appointment as managing director follows the departure of former Dymocks Group CEO Don Grover earlier this year. Dymocks indicated in 2011 that the group’s management would be restructured following Grover’s departure.

Cox has more than 20 years’ experience in retail management in Australia and the United Kingdom, and has previously worked for Selfridges in the UK, and David Jones and The Specialty Fashion Group in Australia.

Cox said in a statement this week that he is looking forward to ‘ensuring Dymocks continues to grow sustainably’, increasing the company’s market share and ‘remaining at the forefront of the industry’, and ‘ultimately providing our customers and readers the best possible instore and online customer experience’.

‘There is no doubt that the challenges we face today are, as for many retailers, significant,’ said Cox. ‘However, we are fortunate [as] our locally owned and operated stores are close to their customers’.

Cox said that the future of Dymocks will involve ‘investing in better understanding our customers so that we can continue to evolve with them’. ‘Being a multichannel retailer, we are also well positioned to adapt to changes in customer buying habits with continual investment and innovation in both bricks-and-mortar and online channels,’ said Cox. ‘We are an innovative company that has always been at the forefront of development in the bookselling market and we have again led the way with one of our most exciting recent developments, the launch of our publishing arm, D Publishing.’

Cox said the chain will also ‘continue to invest in and expand the Dymocks Booklover’s Rewards program’, which he said ‘delivers value and connects our customers to the book content they love’. ‘We are focused on providing the best range of books, with expert advice and customer service across all our channels delivered by staff who are passionately knowledgeable about books.’

As previously reported by Bookseller+Publisher, Grover announced his resignation from Dymocks at the end of 2011, and he finished in his position as CEO of the group in February. Grover said at the time that he will be ‘moving on from the book industry’.

Tags: dymocks

Category: Local news