Foyles addresses ‘shrinking fiction section’ claim

Foyles has addressed claims that its Bristol bookshop has removed its fiction section.

Johanna Thomas-Corr, literary editor of the Sunday Times, tweeted on 6th September that she had “heard a rumour that Foyles in Bristol had got rid of its fiction section but I simply couldn’t believe it, especially since Nielsen figures show fiction sales are up".

Corr went into the store to “check for myself” and said she found “only a few tables of novels there". “How sad and incredibly strange,” she said. The Times described the saga as the “strange tale of the shrinking Foyles fiction section", also quoting a London bookseller as claiming that fiction had been slashed in their shop in favour of gift products such as calendars and book lights.

Now, Foyles has clarified the situation to The Bookseller, noting that Foyles Bristol has “a carefully curated selection of fiction”. 

A spokesperson said: “Our Foyles Bristol shop is one of our smaller shops and therefore has a carefully curated selection of fiction including the latest bestsellers, perennial favourites, genre fiction and gift editions.

“The range of titles on offer in any bookshop is principally dependent on space. Sections ebb and flow with customer profile and at different times of the year but fiction remains pivotal to the success of all Foyles bookshops. All Foyles shops stock current fiction bestsellers, a broad selection of backlist fiction genres and numerous beautiful editions of classics and gift editions.”

The spokesperson went on to say that the newly re-opened shop at Waterloo Station has “noticeably more space for fiction” and “a far larger range of books than before".

Moreover, “our Chelmsford shop has considerably increased its fiction offering in recent months to house more Manga titles in response to customer demand. Similarly, Our Foyles Charing Cross Road shop continues to be one of the largest range holding bookshops in the UK, stocking over 140,000 titles with its fiction section recently expanded to give more space to general fiction and Manga".