The changing face of bookselling on the high streets in the UK

During the last week or so, we've seen Waterstone's announce that it will close up to 30 branches and Borders announce that it will sell or franchise most of its 73 overseas branches to concentrate on the US market.   This led to me asking what will become of bookselling in the future?  Who might buy (or franchise) the Borders branches?  Will Waterstone's become the only pure bookselling chain in the UK?  Will there be less choice again?

Maxine at Petrona posed a question last week: What is the book-buying scene where you live?   She's seen the face of her own high street change over the last sixteen years and wondered what was happening elsewhere.  I didn't feel I knew mine enough to comment there.  I've been back in Wales for almost three years full time and if I do buy from the high streets, yes, I've been to more than one and I've never stayed long enough to take it all in, in detail.  But here's a summary of what I have managed to notice for my south east Wales haunts:

• Newport has a Waterstone's that used to be an Ottakar's; a W H Smith close by; The Works (bargain bookseller); Bookends (a marvellous range of stock but the prices don't seem as competitive as other branches I've been into elsewhere); a couple of indies; a second hand outlet in the market (also with great stock and plenty of crime fiction - to be recommended).
• Cardiff has a Waterstone's (used to be two branches);  W H Smith; The Works (possibly now closed); another bargain bookseller (name I can't remember); an indie on Wellfield Road near Roath Park.
• Abergavenny has a Waterstone's that used to be an Ottakar's; W H Smith and an indie close by.  (The staff at Waterstone's here are absolutely lovely and helpful.)

Further afield:

• Brecon has a small selection of indies mainly selling second hand.
• Hay-on-Wye, the unequivocal small town of books is also a small town of indies, loads of them.  Bookends is here too, and if I remember correctly it's the branch that sells all remaindered copies for £1.

Well that's looking pretty generic already then, unless you head into the countryside towns.

When it comes to Borders, they seem to concentrate on the "out of town" stores in Wales.  They have branches in Llantrisant and Swansea, with one other due to open in Cardiff this coming Easter.  These are big stores, usually with a refreshments area and also carrying a music range.  In London and the south east, the chain also has the "Books etc." stores which tend to be smaller.  Most of the 73 appear to come from this area.   So which company or companies might be interested in buying or franchising all these Borders branches?

If either Waterstone's or W H Smith could utilise the locations of the branches and have the money, then it could be them.  But I hope not.  It all leads to little choice and even more of a generic presentation to the market.  Just like washing powder and beans in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and the rest, the "offers" will be exactly the same in all, give or take a week.

What is not on offer, or a recent release, can be ordered, certainly.  I've recently looked for a copy of Jonathan Buckley's So He Takes the Dog, asking in a Waterstone's branch.  They didn't have it, but could order it.  I've never felt the need to order when this situation comes up.  Book buying is sometimes on a whim and that whim can mean urgency.  I know that I can go home and shop around on the net for the best price if forced to order.  I'd look at Amazon, Amazon marketplace, The Book Depository, AbeBooks, Alibris, even eBay possibly, to get a good deal and knowing that the book will arrive in a few days without me having to trudge into the city/town centre again to pick up my order.  It's about convenience too.

Ignoring the indies for now, I really hope that the Borders branches don't end up in the hands of Waterstone's or W H Smith.  We need more variety and competition on the high streets and in our out of town shopping malls, not less.  Another team of people in another company taking decisions on what's good at the moment can only be welcomed.  One that creates a unique selling point, such as balancing the blockbusters with quality débuts and quality midlister books can only be welcomed.  We need something different for balance and choice.

Which leads me on to the out of town stores, in particular.  These Borders branches are places to browse and relax as well as buy.  I think it would be good to see them bought by a company that is well established, with a solid brand name and which wishes to diversify.  I've been a non-fan of M&S for a few years when it comes to clothing (their previous more-than-reliable-staple), but I've found myself gradually drawn back, of late.  But even through that, I've remained a fan of their food.  They seem to be going down the diversification track at the moment, having created successful franchised "Food" stores in motorway service stations and recently considering a purchase of Sainsbury's supermarkets (a first for outside the brand name, I think).   They already sell books, CDs and DVDs, albeit in minute quantities when it comes to their overall range.  (I'm basing that comment on what I see in stores.)  They also already run coffee shops at their larger stores.

If I was Stuart Rose, CEO of M&S, I'd consider it.  The necessary skills, talent and experience can be bought in to run the operation.

This is just a thought.  But please, let's ensure that we retain some semblance of variety and competition when it comes to high street and out of town book stores.  Waterstone's should not be the only one selling books through chains.  The slightly broader ranged W H Smith should not get these branches either.  When it comes to the selling of Borders in the UK, I hope the Competition Commission will apply detailed and extensive thought.

In my humble opinion, we already appear to have a cartel operating here.  To lose another bookseller looks like creating an almost monopoly situation.

Comments

[Peter]

I'm sure all of us dream of making pilgrimages to Hay-on-Wye. And even the shabbiest secondhand shop may reward patient browsing.

===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

[crimeficreader]

Interesting comments Peter. I suspect the second hand book shops are thriving to be honest. Last year, I was surprised and quite pleased to find a branch of Oxfam that was entirely books. And it was busy!
Hay on Wye has loads of second hand book shops. Some are great, but others lack presentation and are quite tatty and disorganised looking. If they put me off in this way, I'm sure others may react in a similar fashion.
And I'm delighted to say that I'll be browsing their shelves at Hay this Easter weekend. I'm heading there tomorrow to look for something specific and second hand.

[Peter]

I wonder, amid these comments, what the scene is like for secondhand bookshops. With the prices of hardcovers what they are, a new book is an investment. A secondhand shop, on the other hand, allows all the joy of impulse buying at an afforable price!
=============
Detective Beyond Borders
"Because Books Are More Fun When They're Cheaper"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

[Peter]

That was an interesting post. It sounds as if the book-selling situation in the U.K. is roughly similar to that in the U.S., though I consider Borders part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

I used to spend time at one out in the suburbs, where it was quiet -- except when the showoff barristas would whack the espresso holders against the side of the sink. In the city, though, the noise plus the knowledge that Borders might as well be selling, as you put it, washing powder and beans, for all the staff know about the product is enough to put me off. When I do visit a Borders these days, I generally give it the quick in and out.
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

[crimeficreader]

Thanks all for your appreciative comments.

Clare, the demise of the NBA brought better competition. But the Competition Commission needs to look seriously and in detail at where we are today. They managed it with supermarkets and we still have about five main brands there. But the book trade is looking dicey in comparison. They need to a grip on this issue as we might see only one high street chain and one mega net presence (Amazon) along with a splash of stuggling indies, if we're not careful.

I suspect we'll see a change eventually in the method of bookselling. Now, the majority of the risk remains with the publisher as it's "sell or return". If booksellers get it wrong, at least they don't have to carry the stock and the cost of it.

But the important issue for me is how to maintain and even increase variety and at the right price. No one ever wants a diet of the same thing day in, day out.

I believe a crusader will come, recognising just that fact. The USP attracts and gains, if they get it right. Individual stories of great variety can never be another can of beans.

And who the hell would shop at Tesco over Waterstone's over Asda for the same book at almost the same price? Especially when it comes to the same choice on offer. Yes, someone would, they'd be the chance buyer - "Oh that looks good, I think I'll try it." Repeat buyers are not the same. Avid readers are not the same. If anyone wants to grab the "avids", a mature market, they have to understand the industry and market for books. They also have to have the creative flair to be different to the rest that's on offer.

[Clare]

Excellent, thought-provoking post CFR. Yes, we need more variety but I have heard that unless the net book agreement is brought back we are unlikely to get it. I think a major problem is the supermarkets. Now there is no net book agreement they can undercut anyone, and sell all the really popular books (which used to be the bookshops' profit-making 'mainstay') at prices that mean the publishers make no profit at all - so the publishers are losing out, all bookshops are struggling to survive and, very sadly, the indies are generally falling by the way.

[Maxine]

Yes, some good thoughts here, as ever, CFR. In particular I agree with you about ordering: if a shop wants you to order, you can do it yourself cheaper online, and have it posted to the door.

Like you, I hope that Borders continues, because unlike WH Smith, they do seem to focus on coffee and book-related events, whereas WHS does all this rubbish like sell mobile phones (yuk) in the space they used to devote to books.

[Debi]

Your opinion should not be humble, cfr! On the contrary, you present a coherent and balanced argument here - as always.