Foyles begins Penguin books 'takeover'

Foyles bookshop and Penguin Random House are partnering to run a "takeover" in Foyles’ flagship shop on Charing Cross Road.

From Wednesday (18th May) until the end of May, Foyles will dedicate key promotional space across the shop to a range of Penguin books and merchandise, among which will be its the newly-jacketed Penguin Modern Classics. 

There will be displays on all floors, including on-screen animations, a two-week window display, and a front-of-house table display. 

The window display

The partnership builds on its Little Black Classics promotion in March 2015, when, according to Foyles, it was able to shift 18,630 units in the first 10 days.

Marion Rankine, head of promotions and retail standards at Foyles, said: “We wanted to try something we'd never done before and dedicate a significant chunk of our promotional space to showcasing one publisher. The stunning visual appeal of their classic fiction and new non-fiction ranges and their popularity with our customers made Penguin an obvious first choice.” 

Foyles booksellers have also been asked to pick their favourite Modern Classic to share with customers instore and online, and Foyles.co.uk will be running a competition offering two customers an exclusive tour of Allen Lane's personal archive of books, correspondence and promotional materials from the early history of Penguin Books.

The founder of Penguin Books, Sir Allen Lane, was last week commemorated with a special orange plaque at Exeter St David’s railway station, where he conceived the sixpenny paperback in 1934.