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30th August 2008

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Retail Awards shortlists 2008: part one

18.07.08 Tom Tivnan

Now in its fourth year, September's Bookseller Retail Awards have become an unmissable fixture in the book trade's calendar. In the first of two previews, Tom Tivnan looks at the contenders in the first five categories.

The Bertrams/THE Independent Bookseller of the Year

Books@Hoddesdon
At the heart of the community
The Hoddesdon-based shop has had another busy year, highlighted by the opening of a new branch in nearby Hertford and the launch of a fully transactional website. Directors Alan Jeffrey and Stephen Poulter have been at the forefront of independent bookselling nationwide since 2006 with their Love Your Local Bookshop initiative, which this year was adopted by the Booksellers Association as the theme for the inaugural Independent Booksellers Week. Though profits took a knock owing to start-up costs from the new shop, there was a healthy increase in turnover from the previous year. Books@Hoddesdon continued to secure its place in the local community with a ramped up Meet the Author and events programme, closer ties with local schools and expanding its customer mailing list to more than 1,400 people.

David's Bookshop
Expanding the shop and the range
Boasting 50,000 books spread over two floors, David's has been serving Letchworth in north Hertfordshire for 45 years. In the past 12 months, the shop has invested in a substantial refit, built a link between its two shops, refurbished its music department, and expanded the space and range of titles on offer. Innovative promotions have included a "Carless Day," which gave a 20% discount to customers who pledged they had not come to the shop by car.  A community hub, the shop enables any of the 70 interest groups affiliated with a local arts and leisure network (groups include bird watchers, amateur dramatics societies and ramblers) to meet instore for free.

One Tree Books
The place to meet in Petersfield
With a substantial rise in both turnover and profit last year, One Tree is delivering on its goal of offering customers an experience that beats the chains and ordering books from the internet. Owner Tim O'Kelly and deputy Hilary Mee have more than 50 years of bookselling experience between them, and this year they have focused on increasing their children's and travel range. Expansion of the coffee shop has provided an ideal venue for local Petersfield groups, such as book clubs and the town's philosophical society, to meet.

Simply Books
Rebranding the offer
Heading into its sixth year of trading, Simply Books—based in Bramhall, Cheshire—is in rude financial health, with significant increases in turnover and profits. In the past year, owners Andrew Cant and Sue Steel have rebranded the shop signage and website to create a more "conversational" tone to better connect with the community and customers. The instore café has increased footfall, and excitement has been generated by a full programme of events, including a Harry Potter launch party at a nearby Tudor manor house. Community outreach includes initiatives such as a "Where's Wally Day", which brought more than 200 families into the village.

The Torbay Bookshop
Keeping it local in Devon
The 2006 winner in this category, Matthew and Sarah Clarke's The Torbay Bookshop in Paignton, Devon, is at the centre of its community. Local books feature heavily on its shelves and at its instore events: the past year has seen the launch of Peggy Parnell's A Paignton Scrapbook and a paw-print "signing" for Toby the Dalmatian Dog's book of Devon walks. Customers visiting the regularly updated, fully transactional website can purchase books and view upcoming events and promotions. In addition to the 12,000 books instore, the shop continues to expand its offer with a range of CDs, DVDs and sheet music.

Village Books
Two growing businesses in south London
Village Books has seen growth year-on-year in its two south London shops in Dulwich and Wandsworth Common. Established for 11 years in Dulwich and two in Wandsworth, the family-oriented shops contain a wide range of backlist and new titles that are "up-to-date and constantly refreshed". Village Books' knowledge of its customers' needs and rigorous stock has led to a well-above average stock turn. The Dulwich shop's annual children's festival, now in its fifth year, has gone from strength to strength. This April's event was a complete sell out, with events featuring Robert Muchamore, Michelle Mongorian and Helen Dunmore.

The Watermill Bookshop
Serving locals and tourists in the Highlands
A destination shop in Aberfeldy in the Scottish Highlands, the Watermill has lured customers with both its stunning Grade A-listed building and wide range of stock since opening in May 2005. Though the shop does cater to a healthy tourist trade, owners Kevin and Jayne Ramage have estimated that more than half of its business comes from local customers. The shop hosts workshops with local writers; regular events, including an evening with Alexander McCall Smith at nearby Castle Menzies; and has begun publishing books of local interest. The Watermill has also been targeting repeat visitors to the area by marketing through local hotels, B&Bs and visitor attractions. 

Wivenhoe Bookshop
From philosophy to knitting
This general bookshop has been operating for nearly 32 years in Wivenhoe, a small market town near the University of Essex. Owner Ginny Waters has greatly ramped up the shop's offer in the past few years to see off the challenges of the internet and supermarkets; her efforts have been rewarded with substantial increases in profit and turnover. Wivenhoe has joined the Leading Edge buying group in order to compete on price and margin. Its great strength is its range of events, including a reading group that was the runner-up in the 2006 Penguin/Orange Broadband Readers' Group Award, a "Philosophy Breakfast" lecture series arranged through the university, and a "woolly thoughts" weekly knitting group.


The Walker Books Children's Independent of the Year

Mostly Books
A place for kids to read and play
Over half of the space at "family-friendly, community-orientated" Mostly Books is devoted to its children's department. In addition to its large range of general children's titles, it also stocks baby and toddler books for parents, and a huge selection of children's food and cookery titles—one of the reasons the shop was chosen as the official bookseller in 2007 for the first-ever UK Children's Food Festival. Opened in July 2006 by Mark and Nicki Thornton in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, Mostly Books does not focus just on range; the key has been to make the space child-friendly, with a dedicated reading room where kids are encouraged to read and play in a calm and cosy environment. A massive children's events and activities programme includes author signings, storytelling, book-themed "dressing up" days and events in conjunction with other local organisations such as the recent Giant Children's Party in Oxford, run by the literacy charity Reading Quest. The shop is in a difficult location, with one of Tesco's most profitable UK shops just out of town and a booming young population who shop online. But the store is meeting that challenge with a loyalty card scheme, its own website (with its popular Mostly Books Blog), and an expanding print and email newsletter.

Simply Books
Links with local schools proves profitable
Also nominated in the Bertrams/THE Independent Bookseller of the Year category, Simply Books has earned a formidable reputation in the local community for its work on its children's section. It is the little touches that make Simply Books' children's offer stand out. For example, it has recently revamped its children's loyalty card—it now comes as a bookmark with a smiley face for each book purchased, and the cost of the cards is offset through publisher sponsorship. Excellent links with local schools is a crucial part of expanding the children's business. Recent initiatives included inviting an infant school to come to the shop for World Book Day so that they could choose books for the school library, resulting in £2,000 worth of extra business. Other general children's events have included a visit by Stephen and Lucy Hawking for the launch of George's Secret Key to the Universe (A Brief History of Time for children), a "Dads and Lads" evening with Chris Ryan that attracted 500 people to a local school, and a demonstration on drawing techniques for five to nine-year-olds by illustrator Oliver Jeffers. Co-owner Sue Steel handles the children's buying, and her keen eye in picking out titles has helped the shop's turnover and profit grow year on year.

Tales on Moon Lane
Knowledgeable staff, spot-on merchandising and operational excellence
After running a successful shop in Herne Hill, south London, since 2004, owner Tamara Linke and business partner Tamasin Kempinski opened a second Tales on Moon Lane in Primrose Hill in September 2007. Despite the costs of opening in a new location, the businesses are thriving, with turnover increasing in the Herne Hill shop and a healthy profit margin at Primrose Hill. Herne Hill has ramped up its schools business this year, more than doubling turnover from the previous 12 months. The shop is also on the rise operationally, with the increased purchasing power of a second shop leading to the negotiation of higher average discount from publishers; the use of back-room facilities such as Gardlink, batch return and Ingrams iPage have increased efficiencies. Yet the secret of TOML's success is the knowledge of its staff, its spot-on merchandising and a layout and design in both shops that is welcoming to customers. Events and promotions are crucial, including the biannual Children's Literary Festival held in both locations, reading groups and a Magnificent Midnight Potter Party, which was televised live on Canadian television and attracted more than 750 visitors.

The Wellwisher Children's Bookshop
Quirky, comfortable and expanding its outreach programme
Even in Devizes, the "Hay-on-Wye of Wiltshire" where there are five other bookshops, The Wellwisher stands out. Situated in a Grade II-listed medieval building with low beams and narrow doorways, it is quirky with comfortable, bright surroundings, lush rugs and child-sized seating. Owners Karen and Dennis Hellewell have continued to raise The Wellwisher's profile with a full programme of events, and recent signings include Anthony Horowitz and Malcolm Rose. Since April, the shop has been working with Wiltshire libraries to organise a series of author readings to celebrate the National Year of Reading. The business, however, is not solely contained within the shop's walls. In the past year, it has organised 38 book bazaars and 48 standalone author events in schools. The Wellwisher also offers an audit and supply service to school libraries. Karen, a former teacher, is currently designing the layout of a new Bath primary school and is advising Wiltshire schools on booklists and reading schemes. The shop's first-floor teachers' resource centre is used by local schools for staff meetings, and also houses the beginnings of an art gallery.
 

The HarperCollins Award for Expanding the Retail Market

Irish Book Awards
Aiming to be  Ireland's premier literary award
The Irish Book Awards have widened their scope each year since they began in 2006, after growing out of the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year Prize. The roster of awards expanded in 2007, and new voting procedures were also established whereby all of Ireland's booksellers took part in selecting the shortlists. Eventual winners were chosen by the newly founded Irish Literary Academy: a collective of around 100 individuals involved in the book trade, media and the arts. The 2008 awards, which were given out on 24th April, expanded to nine awards with two, the Galaxy Popular Fiction Author of the Year and RTÉ Radio Listeners' Choice Award, chosen by the public.  After the shortlists were announced in March, all major Irish booksellers, including Hughes & Hughes, Eason, Dubray, Waterstone's and Borders, supported the awards with instore displays and p.o.s. material. The event itself, with Man Booker winner Anne Enright picking up the novel of the year award, received blanket media coverage in Ireland.

2008 National Year of Reading
Bringing the joy of reading to all
Launched in April 2008, the National Year of Reading (NYR) is intended to make reading part of everyday life for all, but also with a number of target groups in mind, such as young children, black and ethnic minorities, white working-class boys and disabled children. These groups are significantly under-represented in the book world, and by developing them, the NYR believes, it can also expand the retail market. Supported by a consortium of arts and literacy organisations, and led by the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency, the NYR had massive media exposure on its launch. A Downing Street reception with Prime Minister Gordon Brown was followed by launch-day events with schools minister Ed Balls and comedians Jon Culshaw, Jo Caulfield and Lee Mack. A series of television adverts on the joys of reading were aired, featuring, among others, Lenny Henry and Jo Brand. Initiatives that have directly affected the trade include the first-ever national Join a Library membership campaign: 200,000 new members joined in a four-week period. 

Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction
Increasing sales, and its scope
Established in 1996, the prize for women's fiction has increased its exposure year-on-year—and is arguably, after the Man Booker Prize, the second most influential literary prize on UK book sales. While the 2008 winner, Rose Tremain's The Road Home, has not been a runaway success on the scale of the previous two winners—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and Zadie Smith's On Beauty—it was still shifting about 11,000 copies per week by mid-July, after averaging 450 before winning the award. The Orange committee has continued to open up the award outside of the main prize, with the Penguin/Orange Broadband Readers' Group Prize and the Arts Council England-supported Orange Broadband Award for New Writers. The 2008 awards have expanded the reach into the book trade. Orange mobile customers were offered a two-for-one on shortlisted titles at all Borders and Books Etc stores. Orange customers could also download audio extracts from the shortlist, read by the authors.

Richard & Judy Summer Read
The king and queen of book clubs
Television husband and wife chat show team Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan's Summer Read has been unquestionably the biggest promotion in the book trade since they were introduced in 2004. The figures are staggering: the 74 titles selected from all the Richard & Judy clubs have sold just over £150m-worth of books through Nielsen BookScan to the end of May 2008. The eight titles in the 2007 promotion have shifted just over 2.6 million copies, worth £13.9m.  Amanda Ross, Cactus TV m.d. and the show's producer, has been able to expand the market by not sticking to mass market fare. Two literary débuts among last year's titles, Kim Edwards' The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Penguin) and Kate Morton's The House at Riverton (Pan), have each sold more than 500,000 copies on the back of the Summer Reads.

Waterstone's
Taking regional promotions nationwide
In 2007/08, Waterstone's ran an internal competition for Local Marketing Region of the Year to recognise the importance of local initiatives to the high street bookseller's business. Shops within Waterstone's 21 regions collaborated to develop fresh local marketing plans that were "outside day-to-day bookselling", such as working with local schools, author events, reading groups, manga evenings (above) or developing relationships with local media. Over the course of the year, shops ran 6,300 events, an increase of a third on the previous year. Out of the award nominees, 20 initiatives were chosen to be scaled out across the chain. Three of the top ideas were: a Christmas Giving Tree, where customers donate gifts to local care centres, originating out of the Norwich Castle Street branch; a booklet that recommends titles for dyslexic teens, devised by the Bath store in conjunction with charity Dyslexic Action; and Knutsford's section guides, easy-to-follow signage for some of Waterstone's more complex sections.

The Bookseller Manager of the Year

Iain Finlayson—Blackwell
Creativity and dynamism
Finlayson joined Blackwell in May 2006 after seven years at various roles with JJB Sports, and he has been able to combine high street commercialism with traditional bookselling. Starting at Liverpool and now the manager of the Manchester shop, he has used his creativity to drive sales in a tough academic bookselling market. Following a major refurbishment, Finlayson has increased shop sales by 12% while reducing costs by 9%. He invited university lecturers to help "re-profile" the academic sections, won the Blackwell Sales Initiative prize for organising bookstalls at retirement homes, and oversees five Blackwell mobile "Connect" sites at the start of the university year. During 2007, Finlayson was seconded to Blackwell's flagship Broad Street shop to oversee the retail operation of the Times Oxford Literary Festival, the chain's biggest event. Working with authors such as Philip Pullman and Richard Dawkins, the event had sales of £70,000 over five days.

Lesley Grey—The Book People
Steadily growing the business
Grey has been one of The Book People's Reading-based independent booksellers since 1992, and in that time she has had a cumulative turnover of £10m. Starting by herself, she has steadily grown her business to three full and one part-time member of staff, and three vans. She and her team visit more than 1,600 workplaces every five to six weeks, where customers can buy a targeted selection of approximately 16 books on a monthly basis. Her customer base runs the gamut from the avid reader to those who never visit a bookshop. The key for Grey is to choose the books carefully and move nimbly as buying patterns change. The local market is crucial; last year Grey sold 450 copies of So You Think You Know Reading in less than a week.

Guy Ramage—Borders
Passion and commercial acumen
Ramage has been with Borders and Books Etc for nearly 20 years, joining Books Etc in 1988 as a bookseller. He was part of the team that opened Borders' Charing Cross Road branch in 1999, moving into a general manager role at Borders' flagship Oxford Street shop in 2000, then to Borders Cambridge in 2001. He came back to Oxford Street as executive general manager later that year, the role he remains in today.  A passionate bookseller, Ramage is able to spot trends early and feed them back to his team and head-office buyers. He has steered Borders' biggest shop through a remarkable growth spurt in tough trading conditions, with year-on-year overall store sales up 9.7%, books up 12% and children's up 39%. He prides himself on team development, with a number of his staff moving on to general manager and junior general manager levels.

Susan Sinclair—Foyles
Driving sales in her rookie year
Sinclair joined Foyles as manager of the Royal Festival Hall shop on London's Southbank in May 2007 and has enjoyed a successful first year. In the past 12 months, Sinclair has achieved a 20% rise in sales, with margin increasing by 2%, and kept the shop in profit after costs. One of Sinclair's first acts on arriving was to install a designated goods-in person; this has ensured that books are on the shelves more quickly and returns are more efficient, and has led to a sharp rise in stock turn. A key part of the shop's programme is its calendar of events, run by assistant manager Lisa Bird in co-ordination with the Southbank Centre. Big-hitter authors involved in signings include Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, Peter Carey and Peter Ackroyd. Throughout the year, Sinclair has led her nine members of staff in adapting to a customer base of tourists and loyal regulars.

Graham Webster—Waterstone's
Exceeding all expectations
The winner of Waterstone's branch manager of the year at the book chain's conference in May 2008, Graham Webster has been with the company for three years. He was manager of the Wrexham shop for a year before being asked to open a new shop in Knutsford. In that time, he has also been on two secondments, to Arndale and Warrington, where he achieved a significant impact on sales and customer service. Waterstone's says the Knutsford store, which opened three weeks before the Harry Potter launch, has "exceeded all expectations", coming in 9.4% over budget. Webster played an integral part in the birth of the shop, from the development of the range, layout of the store and recruitment of the team. His proudest achievement may be his team's high levels of customer service—the Knutsford shop achieved a 100% score in mystery shopper results, a first for any store in the northern region.

Rob Urquhart—W H Smith Travel
Innovation and experience
The longest-serving manager on the shortlist, Urquhart first started at W H Smith 34 years ago as a weekend assistant in Cardiff. He has been at the Gatwick South shop since 1994, first as the assistant manager, becoming manager in 1999. During his time as manager, the shop has experienced significant sales growth and last year became the first store in the W H Smith Group to shift more than one million books. Urquhart has been on the frontline as W H Smith tries to improve its customer experience, such as trialling mobile till units to speed up the checkout process. Urquhart's long-serving team (the average length of service is nine years) has built up loyal customers, keeping books behind the till for frequent flyers.


The Nielsen Book Marketing Campaign of the Year

Amazon.co.uk
Breaking new authors
Amazon took a leaf from Richard & Judy, showcasing début authors in an eight-week New and Emerging Authors campaign that began in February 2008. The aim was to try to introduce new writers to the e-tailer's audience, while retaining Amazon's values of price, convenience and recommendation. The shortlist, which included Sadie Jones' The Outcast and Tom Rob Smith's Child 44, was chosen from more than 100 titles sent in by publishers from November 2007. Amazon highlighted a new book each week with an exclusive author interview, and customers voted for an overall winner. All titles were offered at 50% off for the duration of the promotion. In addition to increased sales through Amazon, the promotion helped boost the books' profiles; The Outcast has been selected for Richard & Judy Summer Reads, and Child 44 was selected for the Desmond Elliott Prize shortlist.

Blackwell
Relaunching the classics
Blackwell's exclusive campaign with Oxford University Press for a relaunch of the Oxford World Classics list was different than most publisher/retailer promotions. Blackwell worked with OUP from the start of its rebrand of the OWCs, with the two companies using the Blackwell Design Agency TOO to develop a "fresh feel" of new jacket designs. The collaboration developed into the "More Than Words" campaign, with Blackwell shops selling the titles before the rest of the trade. The relaunch was "multi-channelled"—in shops, online and with a direct PR campaign. OWC sales boomed for Blackwell, up an average of 275% for each title in the campaign.

Books@Hoddesdon
Expanding the brand
Following the closure of the Hertford branch of Methvens, Books@Hoddesdon owners Alan Jeffrey and Stephen Poulter leapt at the chance to open another independent shop in the nearby town. The two viewed it as a unique opportunity to extend the books@ brand and promote indie bookselling values of old-fashioned service, locally tailored book selection, and excellent range and selection. To generate excitement while the new shop was being fitted out, the books@ team put posters on the windows with literary quizzes; customers with the correct answers could claim prizes when the shop opened. Phase two involved a media campaign with local press, a packed launch and a Meet the Author event with Sir Ranulph Fiennes at a nearby college, which attracted 600 people.

Foyles
Increasing footfall on a budget
Foyles was able to use its "Gift of Choice" Christmas 2007 campaign­, on a slender £30,000 budget, to raise brand awareness, improve footfall and substantially increase like-for-like sales. The design—red and gold, Christmas tree and baubles—was rolled out on central London Tube advertising, online, instore and in its Christmas catalogue. In addition to the design element, Foyles rewarded its newsletter subscribers with a discount voucher to be used in the first weekend of December. At its Selfridges concesssion, Foyles had signings with A-list celebrity chefs Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson. In addition, Foyalty, the shop's loyalty card scheme, was relaunched on 1st December.

Waterstone's
Connecting with writers
To coincide with the National Year of Reading, Waterstone's created The Writer's Year, which it intends to use to position the shop as a "champion of writers and supporter of the whole breadth of the written word". Launched in January 2008, the book chain has run separate writer-themed promotions in each month. March, for example, brought the introduction of New Voices, which featured 12 emerging writers across a number of genres connected only by literary excellence. The books in the ratecard-free promotion had average weekly sales worth £14,000 per Waterstone's shop. In May, Waterstone's teamed up with Sebastian Faulks, who was given free reign to choose 40 titles for a Writer's Table. Each book was accompanied by a short review from Faulks. The entire campaign, particularly the Writer's Table, has led to massive media exposure.

W H Smith
Spreading Christmas cheer
Originally introduced as part of Summer Reading in 2005, W H Smith expanded its "Think" campaign for Christmas 2007, creating an integrated, high-impact marketing blitz across TV, print media, online, instore and in its catalogue. The TV adverts were used to drive the retailer's main books offer, with celebrity voiceovers from Ruby Wax and bestselling authors Jeremy Clarkson, Gordon Ramsay and Chris Moyles. TV spots were followed by 15 instore "tactical events" over the Christmas period, including half price on top hardbacks, kids' books and annuals, and a pre-Christmas three-for-two on all books in late September. The promotions led to some staggering market share—Smith's shifted almost one of every three copies of Russell Brand's My Booky Wook. Children's sales prospered as well, with a double-digit increase over the previous year. Sales were also boosted by two million copies of the Christmas catalogue, which was distributed to stores. 


 

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