Book Retailer of the Year
Book Retailer of the Year Shortlist
Proudly sponsored by Penguin Random House
As the National Year of Reading gets into full swing, these eight retailers are on the frontline of engagement with books. Featuring three internet operators, two intermediaries, two big bookselling brands and a fast-growing independent, they illustrate the variety of channels in modern retail.
This shortlist will be completed by two more retailers: the winners of the Independent Bookshop of the Year and Children’s Bookseller of the Year.
Shortlist
Books2Door
Online retailer Books2Door is shortlisted for the fifth year in a row. While value-driven promotions remain the biggest draw for most buyers, it has extended its reach via TikTok and other social channels. Like its sister business, Sweet Cherry Publishing, Books2Door does exceptional work to engage children and diversify the market, including through a hub for accessible books that support struggling readers and children with special educational needs.
Bookshop.org
Bookshop.org won this award in 2022 after it came to the rescue of locked-down independent bookshops, and it has been shortlisted every year since. It has now generated nearly £5m for indies, and grew its sales by double digits in 2025. The team also launched a new e-book platform, revitalised the Bookloop service for second-hand sales and ramped up digital and influencer marketing. They also continue to support various literacy and social initiatives.
Frontline Retail Solutions
Frontline is a newcomer to these shortlists and a business that does not get many headlines. But behind the scenes, this sales, marketing and distribution agency is responsible for taking titles into non-traditional channels – supermarkets, specialist retailers, newsagents, garden centres and more – with thoughtful curation and smart merchandising. Last year also brought the launch of its own online platform, Mags Direct, plus new initiatives around sustainability and DEI.
Monwell
Monwell, the ecommerce partner for media such as the Guardian, Times, Observer and Mail, is a vital conduit between publishers and readers. Its small team combines bookselling, commercial and tech expertise and are a major reason why reviews and other book features still generate substantial sales, despite newspapers’ many challenges. In Monwell’s 10th anniversary year, they also launched BookKind, a direct-to-consumer platform that passes a chunk of sales to charities.
Rossiter Books
It is a surprise that Rossiter Books is appearing at the Nibbies for the first time in its 16-year history. Its first decade was spent with three shops along the England-Wales border, but it has doubled in size in the past four years, with a seventh shop opening soon in Ledbury. Andy and Victoria Rossiter and their teams fuse the character and community of indie bookselling with the commercial and tech strengths of a group retailer.
WH Smith
After more than two centuries, the WH Smith name disappeared from Britain’s high streets in 2025, but the brand’s travel business is as powerful as ever. Highlights of the year included the launch of a Travel Book Club and Kids’ Book Club, and effective “Books of the Summer” and Women’s Prize promotions. While most of these were focused on well-known authors, the WHS team have also broken out new voices and sustained backlist perennials.
Waterstones
Last year’s Book Retailer of the Year has missed this shortlist only once in the last 12 years – testament to its consistency since James Daunt took charge. Waterstones outpaced the market to grow its volumes as well as value in 2025, with notable strength in the increasingly tough non-fiction sector. It opened 12 new stores, ran more events than ever and launched the Waterstones Children’s Book Festival. Its team and promotions still have the power to create bestsellers from scratch.
World of Books
World of Books cemented its position as the UK’s biggest second-hand bookseller in 2025. Sales volumes topped 30 million for the first time, and customer recruitment and retention metrics rose. While used titles still dominate, there was sharp growth in new books too, and initiatives like an app, loyalty programme and e-gift cards are bedding in well. Sustainability and keeping books in circulation remain at the heart of its messaging.
