News: retail

Daunt confident on Christmas despite 'devastating' local lockdowns

Waterstones m.d. James Daunt has admitted local lockdowns have been “devastating” for sales but says he is confident stores can meet demand in the run-up... Read more

Amazon to escape paying digital services tax

Amazon will not have to pay the new digital services tax on goods it sells directly but traders using its marketplace will face the charge,... Read more

Government must pressure Amazon over working conditions, unions say

Unions are calling on the UK government to exert pressure on Amazon over its working conditions after a report by the TUC claimed the retail... Read more

Publishers report incoming shipment delays at Amazon

Publishers are reporting that shipments have been turned away by Amazon's warehouses in recent weeks, at the busiest time of the year for new releases.... Read more

V&A to close dedicated bookshop and cut 10% of staff as Covid-19 hits finances

The Victoria & Albert Museum is closing its dedicated bookshop and making 103 roles redundant across its retail and visitor experience teams as the Covid-19 crisis... Read more

Shropshire's Booka triumphs as the winner of £5,000 Sceptre Bookshop Award

Booka Bookshop in Shropshire has won the £5,000 Sceptre Bookshop Award for bookshops that make an outstanding contribution to their community, praised for its "commitment to... Read more

Bookshops gear up for second 'Super Thursday' as 355 new titles hit shelves

Bookshops are gearing up for another bumper Super Thursday with around 355 new trade hardback books hitting the shelves today (1st October), with some warning of... Read more

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