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Indies hail Xmas discount offers

25.10.07 Graeme Neill

Bertrams' acquisition of THE has prompted fierce competition among wholesalers' offers for independent booksellers this Christmas, with indies hailing aggressive new discounting from Gardners, Bertrams/THE and the BA.

Gardners is offering 46% discount on all 238 titles listed in its Christmas catalogue and on books featured in the BA's Christmas catalogue. The wholesaler will also offer its usual monthly Select offers, with discounts of 45%, 50% or 55% on selected books. Featured titles include Eric Clapton's Autobiography, an Enid Blyton Famous Five boxset and The Pub Landlord's Book of British Common Sense by Al Murray.

Bertrams is offering a combined promotional offer across more than 530 titles, covering the Gardners and BA titles as well as its own Browse and Bertrams/THE Christmas catalogues. It is offering indies 46% discount with no minimum spend and 48% discount on all orders of more than £1,000 retail. Titles highlighted include Bill Bryson's Shakespeare, David Attenborough's Life in the Undergrowth and Maeve Binchy's This Year It Will Be Different.

Independents have said that wholesalers have improved their offers since Bertrams' merger with THE was given the go-ahead in September. "Both Bertrams and Gardners have sharpened up their offers since the merger," said Peter Donaldson, manager of the Red Lion Bookshop in Colchester. "Their improvement on margins has been significant and helpful for independents."

Vivian Archer at Newham Books in east London welcomed the offers from wholesalers but added that independents also face good alternatives when buying direct from publishers. "[Wholesalers] have very good offers in place that the sector will make good use of, but in many cases if I am buying anything in big quantities I'd approach the publishers first," she said.

Emma Milne-White, co-owner of the Hungerford Bookshop, Berkshire, described the wholesalers' discount offers as "very good" but said it was important not to get carried away on discounts. "Last year it was quite easy to get sucked into trying to squeeze that extra bit of discount out of wholesalers," said Milne-White. "This year I have concentrated on the books that will work well instore."

Retail Graeme Neill Independents Christmas

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