Member Login
Home
Join the BA
Why Be A Member?
About Us
FAQs
Join the BA
Membership Subscriptions
Memorandum & Articles
Who can join the BA
BA Advisory Council Members
Bookselling Ireland
Aspiring and New Booksellers
Thinking of Opening a Bookshop?
Introduction to Bookselling Course
Resources for Aspiring and New Booksellers
Starting & Running a Bookshop
Bookshop Search
Member Services
Key Services
Batch
National Book Tokens
Campaigns
Christmas Books
Saving Time and Money
BookBrunch
Bookshop.org
Booktime magazine
BA Music Store
Cotton, Carrier and Paper Bags
Credit and Debit Card Rates
Display Materials
Gift Wrap UK
Insurance
Netgalley
Parcel Rates
SiteWizard Web Design
The Bookseller
Utilities Audit
Business Support and Resources
BAseline
Booksellers Network
Bookselling Essentials
Bookshop Swaps
Business Support Helpline
Creating Inclusive Bookshops
Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI)
FriddIT - Technical Support for Bookshops
GDPR and Cyber Security Tool Kit
Independent Booksellers Forum
Retail Directory Search
Practical Guides
retailTRUST Wellbeing Services
Resources for Second Hand Booksellers
Social Media for Bookshops
Specialist Booksellers
Unwin Charitable Trust Mentoring Programme
Campaigns
Academic Book Week
Books Are My Bag
Independent Bookshop Week
Indie Book of the Month
Irish Book Week
World Book Day
BA Events
Industry Info
Industry Info
Commitment to Professional Behaviour
Coronavirus Resources for Booksellers
Creating Inclusive Bookshops
Green Bookselling
Latest News
Find Your Local Bookshop
Getting your book stocked in a high street bookshop
Annual Reports
Industry Reports
Useful Links
BA Policy Documents & Statements
Events & Awards
BA Events
Costa Book Awards
Dates For Your Diary
London Book Fair
British Book Awards
Sceptre Bookshop Award
Embargoed Titles
Embargoed Title Listing
Submit Embargoed Title
Code of Practice
Key Points for Publishers
FAQs
Booksellers & Intermediaries List
Publishers List
Subscribe
Member Shop
Search for:
SEARCH
Independent Bookshop Numbers Grow in 2019
10/01/2020
Independent Bookshop Numbers Grow in 2019
Following more than 20 years of decline, the number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland has grown for the third consecutive year, the Booksellers Association (BA) has announced today.
The Booksellers Association (which represents independent, chain and non-traditional booksellers across the UK and Ireland) released the figures as part of its annual membership survey, which revealed that the number of independent bookshops in BA membership at the end of 2019 grew to 890 shops, up from 883 in 2018 and up from 868 in 2017.
New independent bookshops which opened in 2019 include:
All Good Bookshop, London
Banner Books, County Clare
Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, Norwich
Books On The Hill, St Albans
Dogberry and Finch Books, Devon
Goldstone Books, Carmarthenshire
Halfway Up The Stairs, County Wicklow
Maldon Books, Essex
Our Bookshop, Hertfordshire
Pages Cheshire Street, London
Pigeon Books, Hampshire
Read., West Yorkshire
Round Table Books, London
The Little Book Emporium, East Yorkshire
The Portobello Bookshop, Edinburgh
Topping and Company Booksellers of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
The BA also reports that its Christmas Trading Survey of independent booksellers shows that two thirds of indies reported increased sales on Christmas 2018, despite perceived town-wide footfall being down.
Meryl Halls, Managing Director at the Booksellers Association, said:
“It is very heartening to see the number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland grow for a third year. This is testament to the creativity, passion and hard work of our booksellers, who continue to excel in the face of challenging circumstances, particularly those wider high street challenges which so often see bookshops out-performing their high street peers.
“It’s enhanced by the news of Waterstones store openings during 2019; bolstering the bookselling community more widely.
“We do however need to frame this positive growth in a wider context. Across the UK and Ireland, retailers still face issues around online competition and unequal business rates, all against a backdrop of uncertainty around Brexit and the economy. No high street can survive solely on bookshops; all retailers need to be supported and championed in order for the retail landscape to thrive.
”While the increased bookshop numbers are certainly a cause for celebration, we remain dedicated to campaigning for the new Government to help protect the future of retail more widely. It is key that the difficulties facing all retailers are properly addressed and the high street supported, so that both retailers and booksellers can flourish.”
Read more in the Guardian today:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/10/indie-bookshops-grow-high-street-declines?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Back to Latest News