Dymocks
Australian bookstore chain
title: "Dymocks" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["australian-companies-established-in-1879", "book-publishing-companies-of-australia", "bookshops-of-australia", "bookshops-of-hong-kong", "retail-companies-established-in-1879"] description: "Australian bookstore chain" topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymocks" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Australian bookstore chain ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Dymocks Booksellers |
| logo | Dymocks Booksellers Logo.png |
| type | Private |
| foundation | 1879 |
| founder | William Dymock |
| location | Sydney |
| area_served | Australia |
| industry | Retailing |
| products | Books, DVDs and ebooks |
| homepage | |
| :: |
| name = Dymocks Booksellers | logo = Dymocks Booksellers Logo.png | type = Private | foundation = 1879 | founder = William Dymock | location = Sydney | locations = | area_served = Australia | industry = Retailing | products = Books, DVDs and ebooks | homepage = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Dymocks_bookstore_in_Adelaide.jpg" caption="Dymocks bookstore, [[Adelaide"] ::
Dymocks Booksellers is an Australian-founded privately owned bookstore chain, that also specialise in CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, e-books and related merchandising. As of June 2022, the chain has about 50 stores in Australia.
History
The first Dymocks bookstore was opened in Sydney by William Dymock in 1879, in Market Street. As his business grew over the years, he moved to larger premises at 428 George Street, traded as Dymock's Book Arcade, and eventually had a million books in stock. As he had died childless and unmarried, the business passed to his sister, Marjory, who was married to John Forsyth. Since then, the Forsyth family has managed Dymocks. In 1922, the Dymock family purchased the site of the old Royal Hotel in George Street, and built the historic, Art Deco landmark Dymocks building, completed in 1930. In 1986 the bookstore chain was established as a franchise chain, and has since opened stores in every mainland Australian state, and also internationally in New Zealand and Singapore.{{cite news | author = Teo Pau Lin | title = Shopping down under | work = The Straits Times | date = 3 July 2000 | quote = With CityLink Mall connecting the Raffles City and Marina Centre areas, pedestrians can pick up a coffee or a couple of CDs on the go easily ... ANCHOR TENANTS: HMV music store, Dymocks Books and Pacific Coffee Company }}
21st century
In addition to stocking music CDs, DVDs and other related items, Dymocks now has an online store launched in late 2006 in response to the increasing penetration into the Australian book market of online retailers such as Amazon.
Dymocks has a comprehensive multi-channel strategy including an international retail network of approximately 65 stores in Australia: an online website, loyalty program, regular catalogues and social media. Dymocks also runs an Australia-wide program, Dymocks Children's Charities (DCC), providing books to pre-primary and primary school age children.
Dymocks is the largest bookseller in Australia and currently holds close to 20% of the Australian book market.
In October 2011, Dymocks launched D Publishing, a self-publishing platform which allowed authors to print, publish and distribute their own books and ebooks. The venture was shut down in March 2013.
In September 2023, personal information of 1.24 million Dymocks customers were shared on the dark web after a cybersecurity breach.
Outside Australia
New Zealand
The last Dymocks store in New Zealand closed down in September 2012 as they chose to exit that market.
Hong Kong
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Dym_IFC.JPG" caption="IFC Mall]], Hong Kong"] ::
In 1999, Dymocks Booksellers entered into a joint venture with South China Morning Post (Holdings) to set up Dymocks Franchise Systems (China), in order to expand the Dymocks chain into Hong Kong. The first store with the Dymocks brand opened at the Star Ferry concourse in Central in 1999. Three Dymocks stores closed in 2012 in Hong Kong when their rental contracts expired.
It was announced in January 2015 that Dymocks would close its flagship IFC Mall store on 25 January, and that it would subsequently close its Hong Kong office. After the closure of the IFC Mall store, the number of Dymocks stores in Hong Kong would be brought down to five. The remaining stores operated independently using the Dymocks name before being rebranded individually.
Book of the year
Each year Dymocks invites its booksellers to nominate "their favourite title that was published within the last year" and a single title is chosen as "Dymocks Book of the Year". A separate "Young Readers' Book of the Year" was also chosen in 2022 and 2023.
Winners
::data[format=table title="Dymocks Books of the Year"]
| Year | Author | Title | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Honeybee | title=Dymocks Book of the Year: 2020 winner | |
| 2021 | Still Life | title=Dymocks Book of the Year 2021 winner | |
| 2022 | Lessons in Chemistry | title=Dymocks Book of the Year 2022 Winners | |
| 2022: Young Readers | Runt | ||
| 2023 | Fourth Wing | title=Dymocks Book of the Year 2023 | |
| 2023: Young Readers | Come Together | ||
| 2024 | The Ministry of Time | ||
| :: |
Loyalty program
Dymocks has a loyalty program called 'Dymocks Booklover Rewards', originally launched in 2001, and relaunched in 2006.
Other businesses
Dymocks Properties is the real estate arm of Dymocks. Its portfolio includes commercial buildings, farms and land.
In 2009, Dymocks acquired an 80% equity stake in the Australian owned and operated Healthy Habits sandwich bar franchise for an undisclosed sum. Healthy Habits was sold by Dymocks in June 2016 to Franchised Food Co.
In 2010, Dymocks acquired Victorian confectionery manufacturer Patons Macadamia. The company's products were sold in Dymocks stores. In 2015, Patons acquired Gourmet Nut Company. Dymocks sold Patons in 2020 to focus on its other businesses.
In 2015, Dymocks Holdings acquired Telegram Paper Goods. Founded in 2008, Telegram Paper Goods distributes designer stationery brands across Australia and New Zealand. Telegram is best known for its stationery store, Milligram (formerly Notemaker.com.au), that sells eclectic and designer stationery, cards, wrap, diaries, journals, and fine writing instruments. Telegram acquired homeware and body care brand Addition Studio in February 2023.
In 2018, Dymocks launched an education and tutoring business called Potentia. The business was rebranded Dymocks Tutoring in 2020.
References
References
- Sam, King. (13 June 2022). "BookTokers drive Dymocks’ store expansion plans". The Australian.
- Power, Julie. (25 October 2022). "Dymocks and 'The Block': Behind the scenes at Sydney's first shopping centre".
- (24 November 2006). "Dymocks responds to Amazon". Adbrief.
- "DCC {{!}} About Us".
- Kempton, Helen. (14 December 2016). "Bid to boost bookworm numbers". Mercury.
- Brett, Lorna. (5 September 2011). "Dymocks launches web-based publishing service".
- Mem: 10256080. (4 March 2013). "Dymocks to close D Publishing this month".
- Williams, Belinda. (14 July 2013). "Dymocks: out of the ashes".
- Riga, Jessica. (15 September 2023). "Dymocks confirms details of 1.2 million customers shared on dark web". ABC News.
- Crossley, Jazial. (10 September 2012). "Dymocks bookstores exit NZ".
- Tsang, Denise. (1 September 1999). "Dymocks, SCMP forge mainland venture". [[South China Morning Post]].
- Woodhouse, Alice. (11 January 2015). "Bookseller Dymocks to close flagship IFC Mall store and Hong Kong office". [[South China Morning Post]].
- "Dymocks Book of the Year 2024 Winner".
- "Dymocks Book of the Year: 2020 winner".
- "Dymocks Book of the Year 2021 winner".
- "Dymocks Book of the Year 2022 Winners".
- "Dymocks Book of the Year 2023".
- Mitchell, Sue. (9 September 2014). "Change in sales strategy clicks for Dymocks".
- Johanson, Simon. (13 October 2014). "Dymocks hunts for more property".
- Masters, Clare. (1 August 2007). "Carr turns new page in career". [[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney).
- Steffens, Miriam. (7 January 2012). "New chapter in story of changing fortunes".
- Mitchell, Sue. (1 June 2016). "Dymocks looks to retail deals after selling Healthy Habits".
- Steffens, Miriam. (6 January 2012). "New chapter in story of changing fortunes".
- Blake, Dean. (5 November 2020). "Dymocks Group sells off confectionery arm to focus on core business".
- "Telegram Paper Goods by DYMOCKS HOLDINGS PTY LTD – 1241395".
- "About Telegram Designer Stationery Suppliers – Telegram Paper Goods".
- "Milligram – Australia's Leading Online Stationery Shop".
- Pattabiraman, Rakshnna. (7 February 2023). "Lifestyle brand Addition Studio acquired by Telegram Co".
- Powell, Dominic. (1 October 2018). "Dymocks launches new education venture Potentia: Why the bookseller is making it “as difficult as possible” for new market entrants".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::