ABC Minchinbury: Embracing Change While Continuing to Serve 

Since it relocated from Epping in 2022, Adventist Book Centre (ABC) Minchinbury has been a place to discover faith-filled resources, connect with the community, and share the message of hope. Unfortunately, due to changing times, the ABC must adapt and pivot to maintain its commitment to serve.

Why Are Things Changing?

The way people access books and resources has shifted dramatically in recent years. More and more customers are turning to online options, and as a result, in-store visits have declined. At the same time, operating costs have increased, making it difficult to sustain a physical store in the same way as before.

Over the past three years, ABC Minchinbury has faced significant financial challenges, with losses each year exceeding $300,000. That means for every dollar of sales, the conference is spending nearly 44 cents per $1 of sales income to prop up losses. This simply isn’t sustainable. So, to be the best possible stewards of resources and continue supporting literature evangelism, ABC leaders have had to take a fresh look at how the store operates.

What’s Changing?

ABC Minchinbury is adjusting operations to create a more efficient and sustainable way forward. Here’s what that means:

•  New Store Hours: Starting 1 April 2025, ABC Minchinbury will be open Tuesday to Thursday from 9am-5pm each week.
•  Transitioning to a New Space: The Minchinbury location will close in July 2025 when its lease ends. Plans are underway to reimagine what the ABC brand and its physical presence will look like in the future, with a potential new space at Epping, pending development approval.
•  Improved Ordering and Distribution: To streamline operations, bulk church and Pathfinder and Adventurer club orders will now be ordered via the web store and processed directly through Signs Publishing and the AUC Resource Centre. This means:
  • Local Sabbath School Pamphlets orders only :
    1. ABC Webstore ordered via specific provided link
    2.  Signs Publishing receives the order
    3. Signs Publishing posts out the order directly to Churches

• • Local Church Pathfinder and Adventurer orders (UPDATED 02 June 2025) 
    1. ABC Webstore orders only 
    2. Orders are processed
    3. Orders dispatched

All Pathfinder and Adventurer orders are to be placed online. Pick, pack, and dispatch will be provided by TBD. Your friendly ABC staff will still be available in-store at the Wahroonga store or via phone or email to provide customer support for online orders.

• A New Website Coming Soon: A refreshed and more user-friendly ABC website will launch in late 2025, making it easier than ever to browse and shop online.
• Frequent Marketing: To help you stay updated on the best that ABC Wahroonga has to offer, we’ll be featuring monthly specials, popular titles, new arrivals, and the pastor’s top recommendations across Conference social media channel.
• New Range of Food Items: We’re excited to introduce our new range of health-focused food items, carefully selected to support your wellbeing. From high-protein vegetarian options to boost energy, to gut-friendly and immune supporting choices, and a variety of plant based and vegan essentials – making healthy eating simple and affordable!

What’s Staying the Same?

Despite these changes, ABC’s mission remains unchanged. The store will continue to have a presence at departmental and conference-wide events, ensuring that customers can still engage with ABC in meaningful ways. The ABC Store Wahroonga located at the Sydney Adventist Hospital on Level 4 will remain open 5 days per week from 9:30am-5:30pm, Monday-Thursday and 10am-2pm, Friday.

Change can be challenging, but these adjustments will allow the ABC to keep serving communities in a sustainable and effective way. We appreciate your support and look forward to continuing this journey together.

For upcoming sales and store updates, visit the Adventist Book Centre Sydney Facebook page. For more information contact the Conference Office via email at [email protected].

Short link: https://bit.ly/abcminchinburyclosing