BA survey shows 'strong sales' for indie bookshops despite drops in high street footfall

The Booksellers Association (BA) has released the results of its annual Christmas Trading Survey, with independent bookshops continuing to report "strong sales" overall and a "notable improvement" in supply chains, but a decline in high street footfall.  

Out of 211 respondents in total, half reported an increase in sales compared with Christmas 2022, but 30% experienced a decrease in sales this year. Moreover, 35% of respondents noted that footfall had risen in their bookshop during the Christmas period from 2022 to 2023, whereas 35% said it had declined.

The majority (60%) of respondents reported an increase in turnover for the whole year, compared to 2022.

Overall, footfall on the high street was down in 2023, according to 44% of the survey’s respondents, and only 18% said there had been an increase in their high streets this year. Meanwhile, almost half of bookshops said that individual transaction values increased and 22% reported a decrease in transaction values from 2022.

Looking ahead, the biggest concerns that booksellers had for the new year included cost of living and consumer confidence, the UK economy, staff costs and energy bills, as well as increasing r.r.p.s and wholesale prices. 

Meryl Halls, managing director at the BA, said: “As we continue to recover from the pandemic and navigate the cost-of-living crisis, we are pleased to see that there continues to be an upwards trend for Christmas book trading, and that supply chains have greatly improved since 2022.  

"However, while bookshops are generally performing better in comparison to other high street retailers, the current environment of high business costs, the increased cost of living and the precarious state of the UK economy, bookshops still face significant challenges."
She went on to add: "In the face of such times, with bookshops expressing tangible concerns around consumer confidence, r.r.p. prices, spiralling costs and bills and the UK economy as a whole, the BA will continue to provide support and advice to navigate the increasingly complex high street landscape.” 

Earlier this week, The Bookseller reported the findings of its annual Christmas trading survey, which showed that indie booksellers experienced measured sales overall for the 2023 Christmas period. The majority (36%) of respondents said sales were average in 2023 compared to the previous year, while 33% reported very good sales.