SPONSOR
DESCRIPTION Simon & Schuster UK is one of the leading general book publishing companies in the UK. The group is based in London with sister companies in the US, Canada, Australia and India. Within the UK
BOOK RETAILER OF THE YEAR
OVERVIEW In a generally tough year for bricks-and-mortar retailing, books proved remarkably resilient. Sales through TCM were up well and for that publishers owe a great deal to (two specialists, two generalists and one supermarket) who all found fresh and creative ways to promote and sell. While so much other content shifts online, they have helped to keep print books in high demand.
BLACKWELL’S Blackwell’s marked its 140th year in bookselling in 2019. It grew sales across its high street, academic, institutional, corpo- rate and online channels, put on more than 3,000 events and partnered numerous festivals. A new store in Manchester showed its ambition, and a move at the start of 2020 to improve terms with publishers, while causing friction, showed its determination to move back into profit. “Inspirational to work with, passionate about books and enormously beloved by their customers,” said one event partner.
TESCO Tesco flies the flag for the supermarket sector on this shortlist. Its sales growth tracked well above the retail average for most of the year, and while its discount- led promotions weren’t to all publishers’ tastes, they undoubtedly got books into the hands of people who wouldn’t otherwise encounter them. The children’s market was a big focus in 2019, and it grabbed a big share of sales of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments. Back-of-house, Tesco improved operational processes and pushed down returns.
W H SMITH HIGH STREET W H Smith High Street filled the ground between specialist booksellers and supermarkets, reaching light readers with its Books of the Year, Richard & Judy Book Club and the Thumping Good Read Award. Like many retailers, it targeted children’s books for growth in 2019, and was again a powerful player in World Book Day, processing more than a third of the promo- tion’s redeemed £1 tokens. Celeb signing events, partnerships with newspapers and big brands and improved social media were among its other highlights.
ON THE NIGHT
THE WINNER OF INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP OF THE YEAR WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THIS SHORTLIST
W H SMITH TRAVEL W H Smith Travel is the reigning champion, and added 19 new units in the UK last year, including two dedicated bookshops. Like its sister High Street business it benefited from the Richard & Judy Book Club, but it rolled out new promotions including Hot This Month and Your Bookshelf Bucket List too. It found new momentum for backlist titles and brand authors, and championed interna- tional and translated fiction in particular. “A beacon to innovation, invention and strong retail discipline,” said one publisher.
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WATERSTONES Waterstones continued a steady revitalisa- tion under the new ownership of Elliott Advisors in 2019. As well as integrating Foyles, it opened six stores and set up initi- atives including a Bookseller Development Programme and the Waterstones Podcast. Sales-wise it did very well with Bridget Collins’ The Binding, and ended 2019 with a bang with its Book of the Year, Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. “When Waterstones booksellers get behind a book, it becomes an unstop- pable force,” said one grateful publisher.
JUDGES VERDICT THESE FIVE
BIG BRANDS ALL FOUND FRESH AND CREATIVE WAYS TO PROMOTE AND SELL BOOKS
LAST YEAR’S WINNER
CHARLIE MACKESY WON OF THE YEAR PRIZE
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