Dec 3 2009 by Karen Dent, The Journal, nebusiness.co.uk
In a world where the multiples pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap and online colossus Amazon continues to dominate, how can independent bookshops compete? Karen Dent reports.
Left - Alan Grint, co-owner of Cogito Books
DESPITE the distractions of our multimedia age, it seems that people still want to curl up with a good book.
UK book sales have remained broadly stable for the last few years and were worth £2,990m in 2008, according to the Booksellers Association.
The online giant Amazon has a massive share of the market – indeed it commands around three-quarters of online book sales in the UK. It has constant special offers and the multiples – including Waterstone’s, WH Smith and the supermarkets – are also big discounters.
So how do the independents manage to keep afloat amid this constant under-cutting? Becoming part of the community and constantly offering something that the big boys can’t is key to survival, says Alan Grint.
Mr Grint has run Hexham-based Cogito – independent book shop of the year (North and Midlands) 2008 and 2009 – for nine years with his daughter Claire.
“The ethos of the shop is to allow literature to flourish,” he said. “We run our own events and have attracted a large number of authors to Hexham including Val McDermid on Friday, which is sold out.
“We’ve had the politician Martin Bell, Sarah Dunant and people like that. We help local authors launch books and Roger Clegg launched The Spirit of Hadrian’s Wall in Hexham.
“We see ourselves as part of the community – knowing your books, knowing your customers, being well-read.”
The shop, which also employs two part-time staff and a Saturday staff member, carries older books as well as a selection of new titles. It attracts customers from Sunderland and Cumbria as well as the immediate surrounding area.
“We have a great customer base and they are very supportive,” said Mr Grint. “You’ve got to work hard at it.”
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