German bookseller Hugendubel unveils 'bookshop of the future'

Faced with growing numbers of customers migrating to the internet, German bookseller Hugendubel is pinning its hopes on a new store concept which it ambitiously calls "bookshop of the future". 

First introduced in two locations in Munich a year ago, the country’s largest independently-owned book chain with estimated sales of €335m and over 150 branches, has fine-tuned the pilot scheme to take it nationwide. The first store outside Munich has just been opened in Berlin, on 1.100 square metres and two floors in one of the capital’s most frequented shopping centres. 

The major change in Hugendubel’s new concept compared to its established branches is the distinct new approach to displaying the book range. Classic bookshop product groups such as fiction, thriller or cooking have been replaced by five themed areas or Lesewelten (worlds of reading) as Hugendubel calls them - “fictional worlds”, “inspiration and everyday self-help”, “children”, “foreign cultures and travel” as well as “broadening the horizon”. Each area is presented as a separate entity, easily recognisable as such and clearly signposted from the entrance.

Before it started planning its bookstore of the future, Hugendubel had asked approximately 500 customers all over Germany why they read and what they gain from it. The result, according to Nina and Maximilian Hugendubel – the siblings jointly run the company founded by Heinrich Hugendubel in 1893 in Munich – was that people do not think in categories like fiction or non-fiction when they enter a bookshop. Instead they have “specific demands for which they are looking to get answers and inspiration.” 

While the new store in Berlin is based on the Munich model, the Hugendubels have introduced a few modifications based on customer reactions, acknowledging that the concept is a work in progress. To help customers navigate the shop floor more easily, the walls of each area have been colour-coded.

Berlin has also opted for a more natural wood look for the furniture and flooring – Munich’s predominant colour is a light grey - to make the store appear warmer and more inviting. Adapted from the pilot stores but again using more colour are module-based, flexible boxes which replace the classical book shelves. The main element are cubes with a width of 35 cm that are open to one side and can easily be stacked into any required height or shape.

Part of the new concept is also a much expanded range of activities and services. It includes more events and offers where customers can readily join in, including cooking shows, a homely reading café, and (in Berlin only for the time being) free delivery by bike couriers all over town. Another new service feature is called eFree: customers logging into Hugendubel’s own wi-fi can read all available e-books in the chain on their mobile or tablet while being in the store.

Hugendubel’s attempt at keeping existing customers and bringing back others through word of mouth and advertising is closely watched by other booksellers. While the consolidation process has gathered pace earlier this year following the merger of market leader Thalia and regional chain Mayersche, the market is still heavily characterised by independent booksellers. According to statistical data published by the trade association Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, in 2018 brick-and-mortar booksellers continued to be the most important sales channel with sales of €4.27bn, down 0.7%. Their market share fell accordingly from 47.1% to 46.8%. At the same time online shops reported growth of 4% to €1.78bn, with the market up from 18.8% to 19.5%.