We're thrilled to announce that Nic Bottomley, co-owner of Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights has been elected President of the Booksellers Association, taking over the role from Rosamund de la Hay, owner of The Mainstreet Trading Company.

Nic said: “I’m delighted to be the new BA President. Roz has done a fantastic job as President over the past two years, and I’m looking forward to building on everything she’s done to champion high street bookselling.

“As President, my priorities will include to continuing to strengthen the relationship between publishers and booksellers, particularly to add further weight to key campaigns including Independent Bookshop Week and Books Are My Bag. This is a crucial time for bookshops and the BA and I am looking forward to working closely with Meryl Halls in her new role as MD. Meryl and I very much see eye to eye on the key issues the book trade currently faces, including working towards a bookselling sector that more truly represents the diversity of our society. We are excited to be launching a new initiative focussed on diversity in the coming months – watch this space.

“I’m always hugely impressed with the many ways in which booksellers share knowledge, skills and experience when brought together, and this is something I plan to build on as President, looking at more ways for booksellers to come together to share creativity and ever-improve our professionalism, while supporting young and new booksellers as they join our vibrant sector.”