The Bookseller.com

4th July 2009

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Flyers fuel book rush at UK airports

27.08.08 Charlotte Williams

Book sales are flying high at UK airports, with strong sales of self-help guides, business books and fiction titles helping to allay fears that weight restrictions would put off heavy book buyers, according to airports operator BAA.

Self-help book sales have increased by 50% year-on-year at the Stansted Borders with sales of business titles up by 19%, according to BAA. Hughes & Hughes has seen an 11% rise in sales of business books in Terminal 5 over the last couple of months, when compared to its opening two months, while sales of fiction at the Irish-based bookseller have grown by almost 30% during the summer.

The figures were backed by retailers spoken to by The Bookseller. Anna Derkacz, head of airport buying at Borders, said that recession fears were behind the demand in self-help titles. “Everyone is on a bit of a downer with the credit crunch, and they are just looking for titles that can help them with their life,” she said.

Derkacz dismissed suggestions that stricter hand luggage restrictions were having any impact on sales. “We were worried that there was going to be a knock-on effect but customers are still picking up books once they have gone through security. Holiday reads are quite disposable and fliers are not too bothered about fitting them into their bags on the way back.”

Bobby Patmore, store supervisor at Stansted’s landside Borders, said that economic instability was also helping boost sales of business books. “Customers want to read something that tackles the economy with a light and populist touch. The sexy business books such as Freakonomics are always steady sellers. It is the books with a cult following, which approach business problems from accessible angles, that are selling really well.” 

He mentioned The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and The Gods that Failed by Larry Elliot and Dan Atkinson as particularly strong sellers.

BAA has more than 70 bookselling units across all of its airports, including 63 W H Smith shops, seven Borders stores, and two Hughes & Hughes branches.

Retail travel Charlotte Williams