Mosgiel store for Paper Plus

Paper Plus Group board chairman Mike Paardekooper and his wife Gai stand outside their Cromwell store. Paper Plus announced a $22 million investment in its stores in the next two years, which will include a new store in Mosgiel by this Christmas. Photo supplied.

The group announced in Auckland yesterday its plans would involve refitting 106 Paper Plus stores over the next two years, and adding between 14 and 24 new stores.

Paper Plus chief executive Rob Smith said the company had been reviewing its plans when the recession hit and after extensive research and customer feedback decided to fast-track the development.

The company is the only nationwide 100% New Zealand-owned and operated book and stationery retailer.

Mr Smith said more than 650,000 customers visited stores each week, contributing to the group's combined annual turnover approaching $200 million.

Despite a slight decline being recorded in the New Zealand book and stationery market, Paper Plus continued to grow last year.

`Since August, an average of two stores a week had been refitted and reopened at locations around the country, including stores in Manukau City, Howick, Thames, Taupo, Wellington, Nelson and Oamaru.

New stores would be opened in locations where the company was "under represented".

Paper Plus board chairman Mike Paardekooper, who also owns four Central Otago stores, said one of the new locations would be Mosgiel.

The new store would open "opposite the old New World" by Christmas.

The Golden Centre store in Dunedin was being upgraded now and the Oamaru storeupgrade would be finished by the end of the week.

The upgrades took the Paper Plus brand away from "almost a cards and novelty shop" to focusing on books and stationery, Mr Paardekooper said.

Mr Paardekooper said the group was looking to "expand" in Cromwell and would likely time its upgrade of the Queenstown outlet to coincide with that.