Trade is steadying, say indie booksellers, but 'still a long way to go'

Bookshops are relieved to be physically open again, reporting "steady" trade since raising the shutters at the start of June with strong local support. However challenges in the current economic climate persist, with footfall down, with customers acclimatising to the new safety precautions.

Figures cited on BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme this morning (Monday 13th July) put retailer footfall for June overall down 56% on the same month last year, with the second two weeks of the month falling off after an initial rebound when shops reopened. High street footfall in central London is down 80%, the programme's business correspondent Dominic O'Connell said.

Speaking on the programme, Waterstones m.d. James Daunt said: "We're finding our county town high street shops are performing very well, people seem to be comfortable shopping in those, but definitely not travelling into the city centres." However he added, "We're certainly ourselves seeing with every week an improvement in our trade."

Hazel Broadfoot, owner of Village Books in Dulwich, told The Bookseller that overall her customer base has returned to the shop and visitors of the bookshop are being co-operative with social distancing.

"We’ve had a very positive response from our local community who are delighted to be able to browse in a bookshop again," she said. “People are being responsible and understanding about our safety measures so no problems to report so far. Sales are very brisk, after an initial surge they’ve settled to a level that sees us well up on the same period last year. Despite publication dates shifting there are actually a lot of really good books out at the moment which is great. I think we’re benefitting from lots of people still working at home and shopping locally." She added that although footfall was down, "people seemed to be buying more".

Sheryl Shurville, owner of Chorleywood Bookshop, was encouraged the shop has been "busy" and "takings are good". "The signs are good that people are using the shop and wanting to use the shop," she said. However this isn't to say there aren't challenges in the current climate, she noted, not least with some of the largest department stores in Watford town shopping centre, John Lewis and Debenhams, announcing that they are not going to open.

Patrick Neale, co-founder of Chipping Norton’s Jaffe & Neale, admitted that "footfall is down dramatically", although he was "delighted" to be trading inside the shop again. The local support "has been wonderful", he said, adding: "It’s a joy to know how pleased customers are to come in". The bookshop’s adjoining cafe is still closed to sit-in visitors but is operating takeaway facilities.

Bookshops located in areas traditionally reliant on tourist trade are reporting a slower uptake in sales and reduced footfall. Ron Johns, owner of two bookshops in Falmouth and St Ives, said: "In Cornwall and the West Country, we’ve gone from having no visitors to quite a few visitors, which is good, but it makes future planning more difficult as we were trading for three weeks at about 10 to 15% of our normal turnover, which was pretty dire. Cornish and West Country businesses are built on tourism, largely. Since the weekend, we are now trading at 50% of our normal takings. We’re seeing quite a lot more customers since the pubs and restaurants have re-opened. That’s probably enough to keep going, but we don’t really know yet."

Though most vendors The Bookseller spoke to were optimistic about sales returning to their former levels, some were worried about the lasting effects of the safety precautions laid out by the government and advised by the BA. "It’s never going to be as busy because we have to limit people in our shops," said Johns. "The St Ives [branch] is a small shop, so we’re only allowed two in. That’s going to impact how much we can take."

Rosamund de la Hey, founder of Mainstreet Trading Company in St Boswells, said: "Trading is steady, and getting gradually busier. The website has got quieter in the build up to reopening, but we are steady. Last Saturday was very busy in the bookshop, but obviously within the limitations of numbers in the store. It’s been lovely seeing everyone come in. It’s taken the team a while to get used to policing things. We’re trying to make sure everyone does sanitise their hands before coming through the door, butI don’t think everyone is fully in the habit of it yet.

"On Friday, face coverings in shops become mandatory [in Scotland] so that’s going to be more of a challenge I think. We have to try and enforce it with customers too, which I suspect might pose some issues, so I’m not especially looking towards that, but we’ll work with it."

Like Neale, De La Hey has taken the decision to keep Mainstreet’s cafe as takeaway only, despite them being allowed to reopen as serve customers on the premises as of next week. “In order to serve people effectively, we’re not going to do sit in service for the moment, probably not until about mid-August. We’re keeping it under review,” she said.

Georgia Eckert, owner of Imagined Things in Harrogate, also agreed that enforcing safety procedures and extra cleaning meant she is struggling to answer the “increased volume of emailed enquiries, as lots of customers are still not coming out to shop”.

“I think customers that are coming in on average are spending less time, but are more certain about what they want than pre-pandemic times, and many don’t want to spend too long lingering in shops”, she said. “I think this actually has its benefits as a retailer, as browsing without buying obviously isn’t as good for business, and I think less browsing and more decisions being made is good for us. Obviously generally it is quieter than usual - some of our customers and shielding, isolating or not wanting to come shopping yet.”

Lockdown has curtailed the usual opportunities for booksellers, both by inhibiting booksellers from putting on their own events and to attract more passing trade through literary festivals and events, many of which canceled or gone online.

"It's interesting times and we are working our socks off," said Shurville. "We extended our hours on a Sunday, because we haven't got the events business. We have to do what we can and be as available as we can be to make it easier for the customer."

Eckhert said: “At this time of year we usually have the Theakstons Crime Writing Festival, which means we have a very busy week. Although we’re not directly connected to the festival it sees tonnes of authors and booklovers descend on the town and last year we had over 40 authors in to sign books for us, as well as plenty of people buying books with us. So that loss and the loss of events and reduction in tourism is a shame and a worry.”

Though she was optimistic about the coming weeks, Eckhert said is “still a long way to go to recover from being closed for so long”, though she was hopeful trade would steadily improve.

“I think the uncertainty of everything is affecting everyone, including our customers - though we are delighted by all who have supported us remotely during lockdown and now, and those who are now happy to come and see us, it’s been amazing to have them back,” she said.