Majority of indie bookshops report Christmas sales rise

More than three-quarters of independent booksellers responding to The Bookseller's 2020 Christmas trading survey saw a rise in business year-on-year for the festive period. Meanwhile, a separate survey conducted by the Booksellers Association found 57.7% of booksellers it polled reported that trading was up compared with Christmas 2019—that survey also found participating bookshops earned an average fee of £1,647 through Bookshop.org over Christmas 2020.

Of the 32 shops responding inThe Bookseller, 41% reported their Christmas sales were "excellent" and 44%% "very good", with 12.5% recording "average" and only 3% voting "disappointing", compared to 2019's figures. Several retailers said their sales were up by as much as 50%, with one recording a 100% increase over December.

However, others reported a downturn of 30%, with many citing the move to Tier 4 Covid restrictions a week before Christmas as the main reason for the loss of valuable last-minute shopping. One shop manager said takings were up 6% on 2019, but added this figure would have been higher, but that not being able to trade from 20th December meant the shop lost around £12,000. Other responses described a lacklustre October, followed by a brief good spell in November, while December was on the whole more profitable. This was also reflected by the anecdotal "huge stress and anxiety" felt by sellers when partial lockdown was announced in November, and a boom after experiencing customers "flock back to the shop" in early December.

While footfall has been lower this year owing to Covid restrictions, some indies have seen a marked expansion in their customer base, with one bookshop recording an increase of 800 customer transactions, compared with 2019.

Trends in customer shopping were perceived to have changed this year too, as indies found shoppers more likely to make a single trip, resulting in a higher spend per customer, but fewer people coming through the door. Confirmed bulk purchasing and "very reduced browsing" was the order of the day, with customers described as more "fraught" and in a hurry, attributed to the stress of the pandemic. One Dorset-based bookseller said the government's "mixed messages" had confused customers, which had affected their trade throughout the festive period.

However, almost half the indies polled experienced a surge of support, translating into a hike in revenue. One reported receiving "countless emails and phone calls eschewing Amazon" from its regulars, while several indies felt the overwhelming rallying of their local community had driven an increase in sales, crediting a widespread "shop local" attitude responsible for the boom.

Richard Drake, owner of the Drake the Bookshop in Stockton-on-Tees, said his customer loyalty is "second to none — [they] continue to be there for us, and wait patiently while the doors are shut."

"More people are waking up to the realisation that the simple fact of choosing where and how they shop can have enormous repercussions for the world they live in — the health of the local economy and the strength of the local community," said Peter Donaldson of Red Lion Books in Colchester. "More people are guided by these issues and less by looking for the cheapest price."

Others were grateful to discounts offered by publishers, notably Faber, Simon & Schuster and Bloomsbury, which boosted trade.

The arrival of Bookshop.org gave many a "significant positive financial boost". One indie found its customer base had increased as a result of shoppers using the platform, who then visited the shop when restrictions were relaxed. The BA's survey reported an average income of £1,647 to participating bookshops from the company to Christmas 2020, excluding income from the pool fund.

The Bookseller found that 84% of participants polled reported problems with the supply and availability of certain titles, though Gardners was consistently praised for its "brilliant service" throughout the festive period. Key titles including Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club (Viking) Hamnet by Maggie O' Farrell (Tinder Press) and Greenlights by Matthew McConnaghey (Headline) were among those that lagged in availability. Some reported an overall lack of middle-range backlist books, but that local authors had continued to sell well.

Other popular titles indies cited include Otegha Uwagba's essay Whites (Fourth Estate), Essex Girls by Sarah Perry (Serpent's Tail) and Merlin Sheldrake's Entangled Life, (The Bodley Head) which recorded unprecedented sales in the run up to the festive period.

A strong offering in cookery saw sales soar for some, with Nigella Lawson, Mary Berry, Ottolenghi, Bosh! and Jamie Oliver books cited as hits, alongside more niche titles including Maxine Clark's Pies Glorious Pies (Ryland, Peters & Small) and The Brussel Sprouts Cookbook from HarperCollins.

The survey found sellers recognising the importance of their digital assets, and making plans to strengthen their offering. Since the first lockdown, indies have thrown themselves into innovative measures to stay afloat, including successful crowdfunds, virtual author events and online Q&A's. From March, booksellers have reported building up phone, email and online direct to customer business models, and said they were able to reap the benefits in December. Many have said rolling out their own online shop for the first time has made a "huge difference", and several experienced an increase in click & collect ordering, despite the recent concern about the safety of the service.

Holly Ainley, book buyer and manager at Jarrold Books in Norwich, said: "Footfall was lower so we couldn't sell in the volume we usually do but additionally, I had to be more cautious in my buying so we didn't have too large a stock holding at any one time. We were unable to run any large-scale physical events in the autumn, leading up to Christmas, which left a gap, and we also usually have an annual customer evening across the whole store which is very profitable — we normally invite customers in for late opening with special discounts, complimentary drinks, music and it is always a big night with a great atmosphere. We missed it this year."

Looking ahead to the coming months, a "cautiously optimistic" attitude has been reported across the board. Many fear the full impact of the economic downturn is yet to be realised, and will result in reduced spending come the spring. The combination of Brexit, and likelihood of lockdown continuing past March has major ramifications for indies who send items overseas.

Jenni Doherty runs Little Acorns Bookstore in Derry. Commenting on 2021, she said she was "very worried about Brexit and trade and custom regulations" and "confused" about the impact the regulations would have on her business, as she sends a significant number of books overseas, ordered from UK wholesalers.

Others feel they are better prepared to weather another lockdown, and intend to roll out more digital resources. Nicci Rosengarten, manager and creative director of Moon Lane Children's Books & Toys in Ramsgate, said: "While we are keeping everything crossed that we can reopen in February and see everyone again, we are staying realistic and putting everything in place so that we can keep sharing ideas for reading for fun. We will continue working hard behind the scenes of our YouTube channel — Moon Lane TV, the Children's Book Channel — to bring free videos of exciting and engaging authors and illustrators to children at home and at school. We will also be keeping our social media alive with all the best of our industry news, exciting book releases, events and general positivity from our sector, to boost hope and togetherness."

The Booksellers Association polled 245 bookshops. At the beginning of the year, only 14% of indies polled had a transactional website in operation, compared with 39.7% at the close of 2020. Additionally, 15% had no website at the beginning of the year, falling to 7.7% by December 2020. Footfall was down for 51.4% of indies.

Orders placed through phone, email and social media were up 90.6%, while just under 40% of respondents reported the average spend per customer was up "a little" on last year. Though 57.7% of respondents were up on sales last year, 22.7% were down a lot on their takings. The BA said the survey fits in with the messages the organisation has heard throughout the year, with the majority of booksellers doing OK or better than OK, but a significant minority having a very tough time.