During the first half of 2024, chain bookshops in the U.K. were closing at a slightly higher rate than last year, with 15 new bookshops opening and 41 stores closing, leading to a net closure rate of 26--up from 18 during the same period in 2023, the Bookseller reported.
Citing data collected by the real estate research and advisory firm Green Street and analyzed by PwC, the Bookseller wrote that chain bookshops ranked 30th out of 100 categories in terms of the most closures on British high streets. Despite the decrease, bookstores "continue to outperform various other retailers, as customers still value the in-store shopping experience provided by bookshops."
Kien Tan, senior retail adviser at PwC U.K., commented: "Chain bookstore numbers have been broadly stable over the last decade. While this half year's number is a slight increase in net closures from 18 in the first half of 2023, it is lower than the pandemic peak of 31 net closures in 2021, and much lower than other specialist retail categories like sports and outdoor or electricals retailing, which have been more affected by the shift to buying online."
Tan added that while there have been chain bookstore closures, they are often a result of consolidation of branches, a rising trend seen "across larger successful retailers" that shutter small stores in U.K. cities for "destination stores.... Given the cost of operating physical retail outlets and shopper footfall favouring the most attractive shopping destinations, this is a trend we expect to continue going forward, both being commercially better for operators and providing a more attractive proposition and shopping environment for customers."
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The European & International Booksellers Federation has published a new research paper on Bookshops, Censorship and Freedom of Expression as part of RISE Bookselling's Industry Insights series. The report uses case studies on censorship in Hungary, Ireland, the U.S., France, and Australia; personal testimonies of EIBF member booksellers in Italy, the U.S., and Canada; and cases of vandalism against bookshops in France, Spain, Ireland, the U.K., and the U.S. Download the full report here.
The publication examines contemporary challenges booksellers are facing, mainly censorship, vandalism, and challenges to freedom of expression. In addition, it provides resources for booksellers to respond to these issues, showcasing first-hand experiences of booksellers who have been subject to censorship, intolerance or violence, and collating tools and initiatives to help booksellers protect themselves from these risks.
Drawing on information and testimonies gathered from the global bookselling community and international press over the past year, this report "offers a unique and timely perspective from our members," EIBF noted.
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Scary sales floor display: "It's getting spooky in here!" Canadian bookseller Mabel's Fables in Toronto, Ont., noted on Facebook in sharing a photo of the shop's Halloween-themed children's books display. –Robert Gray