UK Booksellers welcome summer successes

05.09.14 | Lisa Campbell - The Bookseller

Booksellers are hailing a surprise summer of sales hits, with figures up 8% across July and August.

Despite Waterstones m.d. James Daunt’s fears that the summer publishing schedule looked weak, bookshops have had a successful summer in sales terms, during the height of the digital reading season.

Nielsen BookScan TCM numbers show that in the eight weeks from 29th June–23rd August, booksellers took in £184m, up 8% on the previous eight-week period (4th May–28th June). Sales were down just 0.7% in July and August, in comparison to summer 2013, beating the average year-on-year market decline of 4%.

A number of reasons have been attributed for the success, with chain retailers championing their store promotions. “I was being rather gloomy at the start of summer, saying the publishing programme looked weak, but actually we have had a really good summer,” said Daunt. “There has been nothing hugely exciting, but we have done well across the board with a good range of solid publishing. Our Book of the Month promotion has really worked for us.”

David Prescott, c.e.o. of Blackwell’s, said: “We have had an excellent summer on the trade side of things, with strong sales across the spectrum, and we are up by a significant number. Our three-for-two promotions in particular did well.”

Indie bookshops mooted the economic recovery, increased UK tourism and a backlash against Amazon as possible reasons for the sales hike. Edward Scotland, assistant manager at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath, said: “We usually find summer is strong because school is out and people are buying books for their holiday, but it usually dies off. This summer it has continued to be manic. We have done well with a few key titles—The Miniaturist [by Jessie Burton, Pan Macmillan] and Karen Joy Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves [Profile], and we are selling loads of the The Last Foundling by Tom H McKenzie [Pan Mac], the perfect novel for summer.”

Sheridon Swinson, owner of Aardvark Books in Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, said his shop was up 10%–12% in August. “The shop is in quite a touristy area and there seem to be more around at the moment, perhaps with the economy picking up people are willing to spend money,” he said.

Swinson said he had had some good fortune, with one passing tourist purchasing a £250 19th-century law dictionary. “The start of the year was absolutely grim,” he said, “so much so that I asked myself what I was doing with my life, but it is great to see it picking up again now.”