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Goldsboro Books has revealed it is on track for a record-breaking financial year after moving premises in March.
The 12-year-old independent London bookshop, which specialises in first edition signed copies, said May prevailed as its “best ever” month of sales since it was founded.
The bookshop also announced its turnover is £30,000 more this quarter than in the same financial quarter last year, with co-owner David Headley saying: “With three months left in our financial year, 2011 is proving to be our best year yet.”
The company usually has an annual turnover of £600,000.
The bookshop moved from a 40-square metre premises in Cecil Court, London, to a 90-square metre double frontage premises in the same street in March.
Since then, the shop has boosted its retail presence by holding several book launches and parties which has increased footfall. The retailer also said its online performance had been “remarkable”.
“Our website is getting around 40,000 hits a month,” Headley said. “I think it is all about value added, customers like the first edition signed copies and I genuinely think they want to support an independent bookshop. Customers keep saying ‘I could have got this from Amazon but I wanted to buy this from an independent.’ Going forward, books will have to be more beautiful and collectible to compete with e-books I think.”
Headley said the bookshop’s “airy and more spacious” premises nearer the entrance to Cecil Court had also helped the shop to a record-breaking financial year.
. Bestselling books in the shop include Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson (Doubleday), The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler (Blue Door) and A Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway (Macmillan).
Next week, the shop is hosting a mini crime festival called Crime in The Court involving 40 crime authors to mark Independent Booksellers Week.