Samuel French Closing London Bookshop

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Samuel French plans to close its London bookshop in April after 187 years in business and move the company's offices to new premises near Euston, where it will continue to publish and license plays. The rest of the Samuel French operation, including its bookstores in New York City and Hollywood, is not affected by the decision. 

On its website, the company cited "an unsustainable 200% rent increase to stay in our current location" on Fitzroy Street, and noted that "after exploring all options for alternative premises, we have come to the conclusion that sadly it isn't viable to maintain our London shop.... We remain resolutely committed to theatre bookselling, and we will continue to sell a full range of plays and theatre books (from both Samuel French and other publishers) through our well established and growing online shop." Four out of every five books the company sells are now purchased online or through other retailers.

"It's the way the market, the landscape of retail and bookselling in particular, is going," managing director Douglas Schatz told the Stage. "In the last few years it's changed immeasurably, with online retailing and e-books. There has been a pressure on traditional bookshops and, at the same time, property costs in London have continued to rise, alongside rates and rents. It drives small, independent business out."

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