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| At Drake the Bookshop, Stockton-on-Tees | |
Booksellers are expressing cautious optimism regarding the news that bookshops in England can expect to re-open beginning April 12, according to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's new roadmap for easing Covid-19 restrictions, the Bookseller reported. In a briefing on Monday, Johnson said the re-opening of "non-essential" stores will occur in two months time, as part of later stage in a phased strategy by the government.
The Booksellers Association will prepare a re-opening social media campaign and re-issue the shop safety kits that were delivered to shops last summer. Managing director Meryl Halls said: "We are pleased to have a date to aim for for the re-opening of bookshops in England, however distant April might still feel to us in February. With the falling death and hospitalization numbers, and the increasingly heartening news about vaccination efficacy, it feels like booksellers can let themselves see a little chink of hope.
"We will also, of course, be seeking clarity on the government guidance and support available to our members, of whatever size--and sharing that with booksellers. The BA will shortly be announcing a recovery project for bookshops to help them through this--hopefully--final re-opening, and we know that our members, resilient and robust as they are, will embrace the return to the high street, and to safely re-opening their bookshops and reinforcing their importance to the books ecosystem."
Layla Hudson, director of Round Table Books, observed: "We're taking things very cautiously now, based on the data that's already existing from previous lockdown, so we are keeping an eye on things--maybe thinking about opening towards the end of April, beginning of May, depending on how things go with the schools opening in March. We need to make sure our staff are as safe as possible before we start going back in."
Nic Bottomley, owner of Mr. B's Emporium, Bath, noted that "having a date to work towards quite a way out is a really good thing. Would I like it to be sooner? Of course, we'd love it from the perspective of being keen to normalize, but I don't think anyone wants to rush out of this lockdown into another one. It's refreshing to a degree that this time the government have given credit to the public and business owners for being able to understand the concept of a date that is contingent on something. We will start planning for [reopening], but there are a few more weeks of lockdown trading before that."
Blackwells' CEO David Prescott said "the sooner we can get everybody back safely in our shops, both staff and customers, the better for everybody." Waterstones COO Kate Skipper noted: "Clearly we all hope that this will be the last need for a lockdown and if the lifting of restrictions are kept in-step with the cheering vaccination rates then there is much cause for optimism."
Bookshops in Scotland are also expected to reopen in April, the Bookseller reported. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said stay-at-home rules should be lifted April 5, with retail starting to open up; this would begin with an extension of the definition of essential retail and the removal of restrictions on click and collect. She had previously branded bookshops "essential" retailers and allowed them to offer click-and-collect service during lockdown. The Bookseller cautioned that "it is not clear yet if they will be allowed to reopen at this point."
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has said an order to stay at home could end in three weeks with the possibility that some non-essential shops could reopen then. Northern Ireland's restrictions will not be reviewed until March 18.
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German culture minister Monika Grütters has promised at least €50 million (about $60.7 million) in new aid for German bookstores and publishers to help them "avoid the worst," according to Alexander Skipis, head of the Börsenverein, the German book industry association, as reported in an interview in Börsenblatt.
Skipis said that during a long conversation with Grütters last week, he outlined the difficulties faced by German booksellers in the current second hard lockdown, which began last December at the height of the holiday season. He also called for "a quick opening for bookstores," not only for financial reasons but also for "cultural-political reasons. During a time when society is mentally burdened by lockdown measures and the threats of the pandemic, the nearly complete lack of any cultural offerings--browsing and having books recommended in a bookstore, for example, but also visits to museums and theaters--is unacceptable considering that the danger of an infection when following hygiene protocols is extraordinarily small."
He added that Grütters is "fighting like a lion" for the cultural world and is doing everything in her power to allow bookstores to open as soon as possible.
Asked about the association's Frankfurt Book Fair, Skipis said that "because of the continuing uncertain situation, 2021 threatens to be an uncalculable risk for the fair." Grütters, he said, understands that a financial safeguard needs to be made this year "to be sure a book fair remains possible" in the future.
Besides carrying over €2 million (about $2.4 million) from last year in state aid that would have gone to a reduction in booth prices (and will be applied in the same way this year), Grütters promised an additional €5 million ($6 million) to support the fair in 2021.
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In Thailand, Bangkok's leading bookstore chain B2S has opened a new branch in the heart of the city: B2S Think Space at Central Chidlom, on the sixth floor of Central Group's flagship department store. TimeOut reported that the store is "aptly designed with mirror ceilings and the curvy contour that both visually expand the entire space. The bookshelf tunnel, however, is the show-stopping highlight for a highly creative snap for your Instagram." --Robert Gray