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Leading Edge restructures, Marinov departs

Leading Edge Group has restructured its business and Leading Edge Books national group manager Galina Marinov has been made redundant.

Leading Edge has dissolved its group teams, including the books division, and instead created ‘centres of excellence’, including a category team, customer relations team and a retail services team. It says it will maintain its focus on acting as a buying group.

‘Under the current model, the Group teams are asked to operate almost independently from the other Groups and support functions. This creates unnecessary pressure on the teams and fosters inefficiencies within the business. The new model will enhance the current Buying Group function with centres of excellence, where focus is fostered, team members strengths are nurtured and a wider range of support can be provided,’ said Leading Edge in a statement.

Marinov, who was with Leading Edge for more than 10 years, finished at the company on Friday, 21 September. ‘Galina’s passion for independent booksellers has contributed significantly to the success of our members and she will be greatly missed by all,’ said the company.

Marinov told Books+Publishing: ‘I am proud of what the team and I have achieved in my time at Leading Edge—the largest group of independent booksellers in Australia: improvements in group buying terms, increased number of titles on core list and re-order offers, increased catalogue numbers, a stable and more than ever engaged membership; the establishment of Books Advisory Committee, great participation and support for LEB Conferences, roadshows and the Indie Book Awards.’

Other Leading Edge Books staff have been moved into newly created roles. Leanne Kadareanu has been appointed category manager for books and will be ‘part of a greater category team under the leadership of a strategically-focused head of category’. Ruth Hipwell has been appointed customer service manager, as part of the new customer relations team.

The new team will also include state-based ‘in-field relationship managers’, who will liaise face-to-face with booksellers.

 

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Category: Local news