2015
Young Retailer of the Year SPONSORED BY HARPERCOLLINS IN HONOUR OF SUE BUTTERWORTH
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[ HIGHLY COMMENDED]
WINNER: JOE TAGG, BLACKWELL’S
To succeed against online competition, bricks- and-mortar booksellers know they must go the extra mile in service and find new ways to sell beyond their stores. On both counts, Joe Tagg delivers for Blackwell’s in spades. He is proof that young talent is just as
important in bookshop accounts as it is on shops’ frontlines. In charge of Blackwell’s sales to university college libraries across Oxford, he has massively increased turnover, modernised ordering and supply processes and introduced imaginative new ideas such as discount cards for college librarians and a New Editions Finder tool. Having nurtured close relationships with the librarians, he is often to be found running urgent orders to their desks in person within hours of a phone call. “As long as I work within libraries I will want Joe’s
KEY STRENGTHS
He is often to be found running urgent orders to [librarians’] desks within hours of a phone call
name at the top of my contacts list,” said one librarian in support of his nomination. Judges admired Tagg’s passion for the job and the way he has reinvigorated a very mature part of Blackwell’s business. “Joe is achieving phenomenal figures in an aspect of bookselling that sometimes gets forgotten about,” said the judges. “He shows that individual flair and innovation can still thrive in a big company.”
Sales to university libraries far surpassed expectations
Modernised his shop’s accounts supply chain to speed up deliveries Outstanding networking to cultivate contacts across Oxford academia Engaging, affable and highly efficient customer service
Rory Hill’s commendation reiterates that there are plenty of rising stars in independent bookselling (in his case, at Norwich’s The Book Hive) as well as at chains. Judges admired the way he constantly delivers beyond his remit, his flair for PR and his impact on the shop’s bottom line, claiming: “He has the sort of crusading attitude that you love to see in a bookseller.”
[ TH E S H ORTLI ST ]
Scott Campbell from Waterstones in St Andrews has grown from a 16-year-old part-timer to his shop’s lead bookseller. He excels in service, events and merchandising
Louise Corcoran at Foyles in Westfield Stratford City is a passionate handseller and children’s specialist at Foyles’ busy shopping centre store
Imogen Hargreaves at Mostly Books in Abingdon is a tireless leader of events and promotions and a champion of Young Adult fiction
HarperCollins UK publishes a wide range of books, from cutting-edge contemporary fiction to blockbusting thrillers, from fantasy literature and children’s stories to enduring classics. It also publishes a broad selection of non-fiction titles, including history, biographies, popular science, dictionaries, reference titles and education books, and its digital business is thriving. With nearly 200 years of history, HarperCollins publishes some of the world’s foremost authors, from Nobel Prize winners to worldwide bestsellers. In addition, it publishes the works of Agatha Christie, J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis.
www.harpercollins.co.uk
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