The Company
Established in 1983, the Paper Plus Group is a cooperative franchise made up of almost 100 stores in New Zealand.
As our nation’s largest book and stationery retailer, we have high visibility and brand recognition throughout New Zealand, servicing communities in both city and provincial centres from Kerikeri to Invercargill. Our geographic spread of stores and commitment to smaller communities, is unparalleled by any other book and stationery retailer in Aotearoa.
Our stores offer something for every community with ranges varying across stores to include Books, Stationery, Toys, Gift, Cards, Magazines and Office Supplies. Many of our stores also offer their local customers the added benefit of agency services such as NZ Post, Kiwibank, Lotto, Western Union, Travelex, in addition to a few who incorporate a Toyworld franchise into their store.
Our stores are 100% locally owned and operated and our Members are small business owners who live locally, employ staff locally and are committed to and heavily involved within their local communities, schools, and businesses.
The Paper Plus brand can offer customers the full omni channel retail experience, which provides Paper Plus customers with a seamless shopping experience, whether they want to shop in store, collect from store or have their shopping delivered to them. Using our nationwide store network, we can provide Click & Collect services in many local communities’ that other nationwide brands cannot. Where we are able, we source any online order from one of our local stores to support these
local communities.
In recent years we have seen more and more New Zealanders opting to shop local (In store, Online and Click & Collect locally), preferring to shop with retailers they know and trust, this has resulted in continued demand and growth for Books, Toys and Arts & Crafts across the Paper Plus Group Network.
Our History
In 1983 Kiwi retail icon the Paper Plus Group (initially named Nationwide Stationers) began as a cooperative of just five book and stationery retailers. By the following year, it had 62 Members (store owners). The level of growth and brand exposure was so high that by 1987 a rebrand had already become necessary and the Paper Plus brand was launched into the national retail scene.
The Take Note brand emerged in 2000 from the Group’s purchase of the Topline and Paperworld brands, concentrating on cards and stationery as a counterpoint to what has become the increased books focus of the flagship Paper Plus brand.
In 2005 the Group acquired Books & More adding many stores with New Zealand Post to its network. Today the Group operates with New Zealand Post in around 80 of its stores across the country.
In 2011 the Paper Plus brand went through a radical overhaul to bring it into a new era of retailing, introducing new store designs, brand colours and ranges, while still keeping the heritage and family spirit of the Paper brand. We launched in 2019 the latest version of our transaction website, which has supported the continued growth of our omni-channel offering to Paper Plus customers and members throughout the country.
As a 100% New Zealand-owned company, the Paper Plus Group has a strong presence around the country. We are proud to support and encourage literacy and learning throughout the country, and our Members (store owners) are proud to be working and living in their local communities and contributing to the local economies. The Group is proud of the legacy it
has achieved so far.