The Bookseller.com

7th September 2008

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Books fall behind, says ONS

27.05.08 Graeme Neill

Book sales are lagging behind wider growth in the non-food market, according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics.

The ONS said that in the three months to 6th April, sales volumes for non-food stores rose by 5.4%. According to figures from Nielsen BookScan, the Total Consumer Market only grew by 4.5% in volume terms in the three months to 5th April.

However, according to ONS statistics, the non-food sector is proving more resilient than food retailers. Sales in food stores for the three-month period to 6th April grew by 2.2% in volume terms.

The ONS also reported a slowing in sales in recent months. Sales volume across the entire retail market fell by 0.2% between March and April, with food sales falling by 1.0% and non-food sales rising by 0.2%.

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