- From:The Australian
- July 16, 2011
Bookshop owner Lucy Abarcia among the books in her specialist romance bookshop Ever After in Wollongong, NSW. Picture: James Croucher Source: The Australian
THEY say that it takes a fire to rejuvenate the bush, and the same could be said of a fire sale.
The Australian book industry was looking bleak after the collapse of Redgroup Retail in February with the ensuing closure of 96 Borders and Angus & Robertson stores and the loss of 2327 jobs around the country.As in a bushfire, the landscape changed dramatically, leaving many towns and regional centres, such as Wollongong in NSW, Geelong in Victoria and Belmont in Western Australia, without dedicated new booksellers.
But now a rejuvenation is happening in the industry.
On Monday, Collins Booksellers took advantage of Redgroup's collapse to expand its own 52-strong franchise by acquiring 20 A&R stores.
More purchases are planned in coming weeks.
Redgroup's descent into administration also resulted in the growth of independent booksellers, with about 20 former A&R franchises, including ones in Norwood in South Australia and Bowral in NSW, choosing to continue operating independently.
And independent booksellers, which make up 20 per cent of the Australian market compared with just 9 per cent in the US and 4 per cent in Britain, are continuing their march. Over the next three months, investments in e-book technology are set to flourish, while a new community campaign, IndieBound, being launched next week, will promote the value of independent businesses.
"Independents in Australia are healthier than anywhere else in the world," said Jon Page, president of the Australian Booksellers Association. "There is definitely a rejuvenation and things are looking bright. We see e-books as a really good opportunity to expand our business and just another format that complements the hardback, the paperback and the audio book."
Full story at The Australian
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