OverviewJuliet Blyth, General Manager

Vic Books, Wellington, New Zealand.

Vic Books is one of Australasia’s leading campus retailers. The fresh and innovative stores have won wide acclaim as they re-defi ne the shopping, food and coffee experience across Wellington’s Victoria University.

Vic Books is a diversifi ed retailer that includes a comprehensive book offering, upmarket food store, university memorabilia, clothing, gifts and extensive café operations. A recent period of commercial transformation has won plaudits from the industry and redefi ned success in on-campus retailing.

In a sector undergoing signifi cant change, Vic Books’ progressive outlook has helped the business maintain relevance – and position itself at the very centre of student life.

New thinking has helped create this retail power-house. The same thinking is now revolutionising Vic Books’ administration structure with Practical Guidance forming an integral part of its people management strategy.

Fairness and equality are a fundamental part of the business ethos. Nowhere is this more important than in our employment relations. Practical Guidance not only ensures we comply with the law, but that we deal with all employment matters consistently.

Juliet Blyth

Vic Books’ Juliet Blyth shares how Practical Guidance has transformed personnel administration and compliance for this well-known retailer.

Case Study

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The challengeVic Books is a large and diverse business. Many of its team are specialists in the book-trade and educational products; however, recent expansion has seen signifi cant growth in the food and beverage category. Managing the unique requirements of its expanded workforce has added greater complexity in administration and compliance.

University retailing has extremely intense periods of trade, but also sees quieter times during holidays and study breaks. This seasonality presents unique demands on the company’s people requirements, with the need for greater systemisation and agile employment procedures.

The solutionVic Books made a strategic decision to deploy Practical Guidance – Employment Law for Business. This has enabled the company to bring aspects of managing employment lifecycles back in-house and make signifi cant savings in the process.

With Practical Guidance, Vic Books’ Senior Management team is confi dent they are acting upon accurate information, written by legal experts at leading New Zealand law fi rm Chen Palmer.

Written specifi cally for non-lawyers, the online portal enables businesses to build resources and manage processes at every step of the employment cycle.

Practical Guidance

Juliet BlythGeneral ManagerVic Books

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Practical Guidance making the difference to Vic Books’ business

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What’s included? Essential employment law topics Legal topic overviews Guidance notes Checklists Template documents Latest legal updates

For more information about Practical Guidance – Employment Law for Businessvisit www.lexisnexis.co.nz/practicalguidance/elb or call 0800 800 986.

Confi dence in certainty

As a student owned company, Vic Books refl ects the values of a diverse group of stakeholders. Given many of its staff are students, the company places a great deal of emphasis on ensuring employment procedures are robust and well managed.

Controlling cost

Like most retailers, Vic Books is continually focusing on managing costs. Legal services are one area the company has targeted for economy.

Ensuring agility

The seasonal nature of Vic Books’ business requires agile staffi ng solutions. Practical Guidance ensures the company can respond quickly and concisely with any aspect of employment procedure.

Scalable solutions

Being ahead of the game has helped Vic Books achieve continued success in an increasingly challenging market. This comes from a strategic approach and using the right tools for business.

“Fairness and equality are a fundamental part of the business ethos. Nowhere is this more important than in our employment relations. Practical Guidance not only ensures we comply with the law, but that we deal with all employment matters consistently.”

“As a co-operative, Vic Books supports work in providing social and welfare needs for students. Operational savings improve the bottom line – and ultimately our contributions to the Trust that owns the company. With Practical Guidance we expect to see strong savings in professional fees as we manage more processes in-house.”

“With Practical Guidance available to all our senior team, we can quickly refer to resources online for reference or clarity. Downloadable forms are a further benefi t, helping standardise agreements and staff communications.”

“Implementing Practical Guidance is part of our proactive approach to compliance within the company. As we grow and continue diversifying, the program scales with us – ensuring our personnel systems and procedures are robust at all levels.”