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Jewellery sector’s Inspiring Independents 2023 - the top 100 independent jewellery and watch retailers - recognised by the industry

18 Jul 2023

Industry magazine Retail Jeweller’s list of Inspiring Independents 2023 - the top 100 independent jewellery and watch retailers from across the UK and Ireland, as voted... Read more…

Family-run jewellers celebrates its centenary by giving back to the community.

17 Jul 2023

A family-run jewellers in Kendal, which reaches its centenary this year, is putting giving back to the community at the heart of its celebrations.
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Independent retailer wins judicial review case over deposit return scheme.

4 Jul 2023

Independent convenience retailer Abdul Majid has won a judicial review case against Circularity Scotland, which was appointed by the Scottish government in 2021 to administer Scotland’s... Read more…

Asics reported to have halted supplies to UK independent sports shops.

4 Jul 2023

The Guardian has reported independent sports retailers saying their businesses are under threat after Asics said it was cutting off supply to hundreds of small UK outlets, joining Nike and... Read more…

Half of young European consumers find it acceptable to buy fakes.

4 Jul 2023

A new study on the perception of consumers towards intellectual property published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has found that although 80% of Europeans believe... Read more…

Elmy Cycles featured in Daily Express ahead of Independents’ Day weekend.

29 Jun 2023

With this Saturday and Sunday marking Independents’ Day weekend, the culmination of the annual campaign to promote independent retailers around the UK, ACT member Elmy Cycles in Ipswich... Read more…

“AI has the potential to revolutionise the way retailers operate,” says Theo Paphitis

28 Jun 2023

Former Dragon Theo Paphitis has predicted retail will be revolutionised by AI technology.
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The Association of Convenience Stores publish their Crime Report of 2023

23 Jun 2023

The report estimates that there were over 1.1m incidents of theft reported last year. The most commonly stolen items as reported by retailers are meat, alcohol and confectionery –... Read more…

How fine food retail can be part of the solution to ultra-processed food

19 Jun 2023

Scientists and researchers have compelling data, showing ultra-processed food could be responsible for several health conditions – a recent piece in Speciality Food Magazine set out to... Read more…

PayPoint launches digital shopper marketing platform

19 Jun 2023

Retailers will be able to drive customer spend, digital media use, push new product development and increase sales and distribution, claims PayPoint, following the launch of a new digital... Read more…

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Indie bookshop numbers hit 10-year high in 2022 defying tough retail climate

Posted on in Business News

The number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland climbed to a 10-year high in 2022, as the book trade defied the odds in an otherwise tough year for high street retailers.

bookshop

The lifestyle changes brought about by the Covid pandemic lockdowns were a boon for the book trade, as Britons with more time on their hands read more and sought out bookshops when they reopened.

There are now 1,072 independent bookshops after the industry enjoyed a sixth consecutive year of growth, according to the Booksellers Association (BA). The resurgence followed a 20-year losing streak in which bookshop numbers sank to a nadir of 867 in 2016.

Meryl Halls, the BA’s managing director, said the independent bookstore revival “confirms that bookshops are crucially important – and valued – parts of our high street communities”.

Despite the trend of new openings, Halls said the challenges facing bookshops and the wider high street could not be ignored. “With the economic headwinds coming our way, recession, inflation, labour shortages and massive cost increases across the board, bookshops need support,” said Halls.

“Margins are extremely tight, and for bookshops to thrive on high streets they need governments to take action to protect small businesses from the cost-of-living crisis, as well as unequal tax burdens such as business rates.”

Between 1995 and 2016, the number of independent bookshop members in the BA dropped from 1,894 to 867 as the industry faced stiff competition from Amazon and financial pressures from business rate hikes. However, with the ongoing resurgence that figure reached 1,072 in 2022, a net increase of 45 on the tally of 1,027 for 2021.

Halls said that during the pandemic there had been a “frankly astonishing number of new entrants to bookselling”, but like other high street businesses these stores were vulnerable as the UK heads into recession.

Last year’s biggest selling authors included Richard Osman with his hugely successful The Thursday Murder Club series, and the “BookTok queen” Colleen Hoover, with titles including It Ends With Us.

“Bookshops bring social and cultural capital to every town, village, suburb or city centre they are part of, and punch way about their weight in terms of impact and engagement locally, and nationally,” she said. “We want the number of bookshops to keep rising.”

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