News: retail

Waterstones cuts 16 head office roles including four publisher-facing staff

Waterstones has announced it has made 16 head office roles redundant, including four publisher-facing staff in its books team, due to a “challenging trading climate”.... Read more

Booksellers welcome UK arrival of indie-focused Bookshop site

Booksellers have generally reacted enthusiastically to news that the US indie-focused retail site Bookshop.org is launching in the UK this November, although some remain cautious.... Read more

Honford Star delays autumn titles owing to Covid-19

Honford Star will delay the publication of two titles until next year because of "Covid circumstances", the publisher has said. Read more

Record orders for BA Christmas catalogue

The Booksellers Association says it has received a record number of orders for this year's Christmas catalogue, featuring introductions by Hilary Mantel and Cressida Cowell,... Read more

Hunter and Bilan titles make BA books of the month

The Booksellers Association has announced The Harpy by Megan Hunter (Picador) and Jasbinder Bilan's Tamarind & The Star of Ishta (Chicken House) as its books of the month for September.... Read more

Waterstones closes branch in Lancaster King Street

Waterstones has announced the closure of its store in Lancaster's King Street, saying it will not be renewing the lease. Read more

Gaiman and Aaronovitch help Forbidden Planet celebrate 42 years

Comic book and cult entertainment chain Forbidden Planet is celebrating its 42nd birthday with an online event featuring Neil Gaiman, Ben Aaronovitch and William Shatner.... Read more

Gardners looks to 'predict key trends' as distributors gear up for bumper autumn

Distributors say they are doing everything they can to enable them to cope with the autumn crush, amid concerns from some bookshops about the supply chain's... Read more

Online bookshop launches for Mail readers

E-commerce firm Monwell has launched the Mail Bookshop with Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.... Read more

Bookshops tussling with landlords over rents, says BA

Bookshops already suffering from the Covid-19 crisis are being put under further pressure from inflexible rent demands, the Booksellers Association has warned. ... Read more

Over half of Tate's London bookshop staff at risk of redundancy

More than half of Tate's London bookshop staff are facing redundancy, with several roles in its books team and publishing operation also at risk, The... Read more

Alderton, Osman and Babalola among bookseller tips for bumper autumn

A number of figures from across the retail spectrum are enthused by the prospect of a bumper autumn of releases, after many were delayed owing... Read more

Waterstones shuts Milton Keynes centre branch

Waterstones has announced the permanent closure of its bookshop in the Centre MK Shopping Centre, Milton Keynes, over “excessive” rent demanded from its landlord.... Read more

W H Smith to cut up to 1,500 jobs in restructure after Covid-19 hits business

W H Smith has announced plans for a major restructure which could see around 1,500 roles made redundant across the business. Read more

Book Trade Charity pays out £112k in 'life-changing' hardship grants

The Book Trade Charity has handed out £112,000 in hardship grants from funds raised by the trade, but it expects applicants to keep coming forward... Read more