End of an era as Vic Books closes after 48 years

After close to half-a-century of operating, Wellington’s university bookshop Vic Books is set to close later this year.

The bookshop and café at Victoria University’s Kelburn campus announced via Twitter on Tuesday that it would be closing from March 31, after 48 years in business.

It follows the closure of its Pipitea branch in July last year, with the Parliamentary occupation as a contributing factor alongside a decline in revenue through the pandemic.

“Forty-eight years is a long time and I think we in so many ways epitomise life on campus and the sense of community,” said Jessica Godfrey​​, general manager of Vic Books.

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Godfrey said “business is tough” and it was a financial decision relating to a reduced number of customers as a result of people working from home and the shift to online learning.

Closing the Pipitea campus store had helped but was not enough to prevent closure of the Kelburn campus store, she said.

“There’s only so long a business can sustain losses.”

The store’s 20 staff would remain on until the end of March and extra staff had been brought in on fixed contracts to help during the busy period as students returned.

Staff were “sad but understanding”, having been consulted about the closure in December last year .

Reactions to news of the closure included some customers crying and many sharing their memories of the store.

Poet laureate Chris Tse tweeted, “Sad news. Vic Books has been such a big supporter of NZ writers and books. It’s where I launched my first book so it’ll always have a special place in my heart.”

Godfrey thanked those who had frequented the store and café, especially those who came every day – she said these would be the people she missed the most.

“It’s been an extraordinary place to see a whole lot of people come in through the years and do their growing up,” she said.

“There are a lot of young people we have seen for a couple of years. We see what they were like the first time they came in and ordered something and how they are after 18 months.”

This included watching the orders go from “gateway coffee to something more sophisticated” and students quickly switching to oat milk.

Godfrey said the university had been good to offer rent relief and had also extended Vic Books’ lease, which expired in February, through to March to give certainty to suppliers.

The March closure date ensured the store would be able to supply textbooks required for Trimester 1 courses. A pop-up space is also being set up at the Pipitea campus.

Vic Books has been part of the Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington community for nearly 50 years and has played an integral role in campus life, said acting chief operating officer Simon Johnson​.

“Given our long-standing relationship with Vic Books and the positive contribution it provides to our staff and students and makes to our campus, we are very disappointed at news of the closure,” he said.

“However, we are also realistic about the pressures the pandemic has brought, and the wider global retail trends affecting bookshops, and we understand the decision .”

He said the university would continue to work with and support Vic Books. It was also considering how the space could be used to further enhance the campus.

Vic Books was founded in 1975 as the supplier of all Victoria University of Wellington course textbooks. It’s owned and managed by the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association Trust.

The university and Vic Books are still exploring options to continue a textbooks-only operation.