HIGH STREET CHAINS AND INDEPENDENTS SHINE AT THIS YEAR’S BOOKSELLER AWARDS

· High Street chains lead the way as Waterstone’s and WHSmith scoop awards
· Outstanding independent bookshops recognised by awards
· Norfolk Children’s Book Centre wins new award for green retail
· Alan and Jonathan Little from Gardners recognised for their contribution to the book industry

The winners of this year’s Bookseller Retail Awards were announced at a ceremony hosted by Alexander Armstrong this evening, 18th September, at the Natural History Museum, in London.
All this year’s winners - from independent bookshops and children’s specialists to high street chains – demonstrate the core strength of bookselling even at a time when economic difficulties are felt elsewhere on the High Street.

The two big high street chains, WHSmith and Waterstone’s, had their best year ever at the awards, winning five categories between them whilst Waterstone’s picked up the overall top award, Bookselling Company of the Year.

The winners are as follows:

The Bertrams І THE Independent Bookseller of the Year – The Watermill Bookshop, Aberfeldy
The Walker Books Children’s Independent of the Year – Tales on Moon Lane, Herne Hill and Primrose Hill, London
The HarperCollins Award for Expanding the Retail Market – The 2008 National Year of Reading
The Usborne Children’s Bookseller of the Year - Borders
The Penguin Award for Green Retail Initiative of the Year - Norfolk Children’s Book Centre

The Bookseller Manager of the Year - Rob Urquhart, WHSmith Travel, Gatwick South
The High Street Retailer of the Year - Waterstone’s
The Martina Cole General Retailer of the Year - WHSmith

The DHL Direct to Consumer Bookselling Company of the Year - Play.com
The Nielsen Book Marketing Campaign of the Year - Waterstone’s (for The Writer’s Year campaign)
The IBS Bookmaster Supply Chain Initiative of the Year – Bertrams І

The Random House Group Award for Outstanding Contribution to Bookselling - Alan and Jonathan Little (Gardners)
The Headline Bookselling Company of the Year – Waterstone’s. The winner of this award is chosen from the winners of the following awards: Martina Cole General Retailer of the Year, the High Street Retailer of the Year and the DHL Direct to Consumer Bookselling Company of the Year

Neill Denny, Editor-in-chief of The Bookseller and Chair of Judges, comments:
“This year has shown again what a dynamic business bookselling is. Never mind the credit crunch and the woes felt elsewhere on the high street, 2008’s awards show there is plenty of life in the book trade at least. The main theme was a return to form by the high street’s big two, WHSmith and Waterstone’s. WHSmith won two categories, while Waterstone’s edged ahead with three.

“The three independent bookshops recognised by this year’s awards were outstanding. All three demonstrate in different ways why the independent bookshop is staging a renaissance, with customers returning and the overall number of independents rising again after many years of decline. People are becoming bored with clone town High Streets and are supporting their local bookshops quite deliberately, because they want to support the diversity they bring. These three shops are excellent examples of that trend; successful, progressive businesses changing the game for bookshops.”

Three other independent bookshops also received special commendations for their entries this year, with David’s Bookshop and Simply Books both highly commended in the Walker Books Children’s Independent of the Year category and Books@Hoddesdon in the Nielsen Book Marketing Campaign of the Year, lauded for its opening campaign for its new Hertford store.

The Bookseller, the book publishing trade’s leading magazine, launched the Bookseller Retail Awards four years ago. Dedicated to identifying and praising the best book retailing in Britain, the awards comprise thirteen categories recognising independent booksellers, children’s specialists, bookselling and general retailing, individual managers, marketing campaigns, supply chain initiatives, expansion of the retail market and a category for outstanding contribution to bookselling.

And here is The Bookseller's report on the Awards:



Waterstone's picks up awards honours
19.09.08 Graeme Neill

Waterstone's has scooped the top prize at the 2008 Bookseller Retail Awards, beating tough competition from category winners W H Smith and Play.com. Independent bookshops Watermill Bookshop in Aberfeldy and London's Tales on Moon Lane also received awards.
More than 500 industry figures and authors attended the dinner at the Natural History Museum last night (Thursday, 18th September), hosted by comedian Alexander Armstrong. Waterstone's m.d. Gerry Johnson collected the top award, the Headline Bookselling Company of the Year, for the chain.

The judges ruled that despite concerns about an ailing retail market, the three booksellers shortlisted for the top award were "in rude health". Waterstone's was lauded for the success of its loyalty card, Writer's Year promotion, online growth and its Get Selling bookseller training. One advocate on the panel said: "Waterstone's has gone back to what it is instinctively good at, with knowledge being key to bookselling."
For their full report cross here to The Bookseller online.