The Booksellers Association of the U.K. & Ireland has raised concerns about business rates (property tax) bills increasing by as much as 170% after the government's revaluation, as well as a drop in Business Rates Relief, with 42% of the BA's members claiming an average jump of £9,431 (about $12,460). The Bookseller reported that the situation is "threatening the survival of their stores."
Richard Drake, co-owner of Drake The Bookshop in Stockton-on-Tees, told the Bookseller his bill had risen by 170% in one year and he had faced various issues with the government's Valuation Office Agency, which calculates business rates: "These [issues] had huge knock-on effects over the past few years and, to top it all off, they decided that if a town that is undergoing massive upheaval and improvement work--which ultimately will help the town bit in the short term is affecting footfall--it was acceptable to increase the valuation of the property (where the rent has not gone up for nine years and indeed I negotiated a reduction)."
Paul Thomas, who runs Westwood Books, Sedbergh, observed: "It's worth noting that it's not just the cutting of rate reliefs that is the issue. We recently had our rateable value reassessed as part of the VOA process and, despite retail being in a worse than ever before as an industry, we have lost our full business rates relief and now have to pay. This shows that business rates is a tax that looks at property values and not the business."
Laura McCormack, the BA's head of policy and public affairs, said: "We are deeply troubled by the rising number of independent bookshops across the U.K. now struggling under the impact of the recent cuts to Business and Non-Domestic Rates Relief. While we welcomed the Westminster Government's Budget commitment to address the longstanding imbalance between high street shops and giant online retailers in England, it is increasingly alarming that this much-needed reform will not be implemented until 2026/2027--too late for many businesses already under compounded pressure.... We urge the government to accelerate the timeline for introducing its planned reforms to ensure that bookshops--so often rightly praised for their resilience--are not left struggling to survive until help finally arrives."
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Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand has appointed three new board members, while two existing members are departing the board, Books+Publishing reported. New appointees include Mary-Liz Corbett of Matakana Village Books; Alison Southby of Poppies Hamilton; and Robbie Egan, outgoing CEO at BookPeople Australia, who is stepping in as a new independent director for the organization. Departing board members are University Bookshop Canterbury manager Pene Whitty and Poppies Group director Tony Moores.
"Pene Whitty and Tony Moores served on the board through many years and many trials including Covid-19 and the development of BookHub," said association manager Renee Rowland. "Board positions are voluntary, so the time, energy, experience and knowledge given by Tony and Pene are effectively donations into our bank--donations we all benefit and draw on. It's been a personal and professional privilege of mine to work with them both."
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British retailer WH Smith is selling Funky Pigeon, its online personalized greeting cards business, to Card Factory for £24 million (about $32 million) "following a strategic review of this business," the company said, adding that the "transaction is consistent with the group's strategic focus on travel retail." The deal is expected to be completed before the end of the year.
Last March, WH Smith sold its 480 high street--or main street--stores to Modella Capital in order to focus on its travel business, particularly its 1,200 stores in airports, hospitals, railroad stations, and elsewhere in 32 countries. Earlier this month, the company announced it will be opening eight new stores at JFK International Airport in New York City, where it currently operates two stores in Terminal 5. --Robert Gray