Boy wizard Harry Potter is causing an uproar in the world of books as J. K. Rowling's fictional character becomes the subject of complaints to the Commerce Commission.
Whitcoulls is at the centre of a storm among retailers for cutting the price of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to $19.95 from a recommended retail price of $45. Whitcoulls sold out in a day on the book's release last week and is waiting for 3000 more copies to arrive. Most have been pre-sold.
Fran Stanley, general manager of consumer retailing for Blue Star, which owns Whitcoulls, said the shipment would also be sold at $19.95, but then the price would be reviewed.
Commerce Commission spokesman Vince Cholewa said it had two complaints from book retailers that Whitcoulls was guilty of predatory pricing. The commission did not consider the Commerce Act had been contravened, however.
The Whitcoulls' price drop was followed by The Warehouse and Dymocks Booksellers.
Section 36 of the act prohibits actions to prevent or deter any person engaging in competitive conduct or to eliminate any person from a market.
"The Warehouse competes with them [Whitcoulls] in bookselling," said Mr Cholewa. "For the commission to use Section 36, you would have to show somehow that Whitcoulls is dominant. We certainly have no evidence of that in relation to what's happening in the book retailing market anyway."
Ms Stanley said she was getting sick of Whitcoulls being portrayed as a villain over the matter.
"The only flak I've received has come from my competitors. The parents are delighted, the kids are delighted, the libraries are delighted."
Ms Stanley confirmed Whitcoulls was in the early stages of setting up a chain of children's bookshops, but said the Potter discount was not linked to this.
Booksellers New Zealand chief executive Alice Heather said Whitcoulls' pricing was bad for the wider industry and smaller retailers.
"The concern is that the general public will perceive it as [a case of] 'Oh, that little bookshop is ripping me off and making $20 on these books,' when the truth is they can't even buy at that price."
A former Booksellers NZ director, John Ahradsen of Wellington, said he believed Whitcoulls' action was designed to undermine specialist children's booksellers.
- NZPA
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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