Bookshop Survival during the Credit Crunch

Over the last few weeks I have spent time speaking to Independent Bookshops across the country finding out how they are coping with the down-turn.

I was especially interested in the reasons why some shops didn’t stock our products (for obvious reasons) and was told by the sales team that many bookshops only wanted to sell books, nothing else. Why I thought? Would you expect a camera shop just to sell cameras? No, as it makes perfect business sense for a camera shop to sell all the accessories too, including camera cases, photo frames, film, memory cards, tripods etc.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that bookshops were increasingly willing to “try new things” and cheerfully receptive to experimenting with “non-book” items. I discussed with them the idea of “add-on sales” and how stocking items, such as greeting cards, book accessories, diaries and journals, make great impulse purchases in addition to book sales.

I have fond memories of my years working as a Bookseller, in a wonderful shop called The Whitby Bookshop www.whitbybookshop.co.uk. “Non-book” sales could and probably still do, account for a surprising percentage of the annual turnover. If all bookshops could add that bit extra on top of their existing takings, it would considerably increase their survival in these difficult trading conditions.

However, I appreciate that not all Bookshops can manage to find a free wall for card racks, room on the counter or floor space for a spinner. In fact I found this to be the most common problem, which is a difficult one to solve! Perhaps with a little de-cluttering, selling off stock which is old-hat or sacrificing a small part of the counter, bookshops may not just become known for selling the latest literary offerings. Giving shoppers that extra incentive to pay them a visit, an Aladdin’s cave where you can discover an unusual, special gift for the discerning reader.

It was really great to hear how many shops seemed to be unaffected by the current economic climate and put this down to loyal customers and offering a wide range of books you would not find in the supermarket. I hope we don’t lose any more precious Independents over the next few years and that lowering rents on the high street may encourage some more to open!