Which? undertakes an annual 'shops' survey, to look at levels of service, quality of customer care and productivity etc . This year's survey omits the 'entertainment shops' category, which covers shops selling books and music because so many people now buy online. High streets have lost more than 4,200 book, news and stationery shops since 1988. Retail analyst Verdict predicts the lost of a further 350 by 2014.
There is hope, however, for specialist book shops that offer a unique service. Richard Davies of online books marketplace AbeBooks.co.uk states: "Niche, genre-themed shops go down really well if they can sell online and offline'. (Witness Persephone!)
However, online shopping and downloads of titles will continue to dent the prospects of book shops, which face high rents and the need to keep a large amount of stock that attracts few sales.
Go back to 1997 and just 1.6% of book sales were made online - today it's 30%. And with supermarkets undercutting the big chains and independents on the prices of bestsellers, it's no surprise that Waterstone's - the only major chain left since Borders collapsed last year - and independents face difficulties.' Just what will the future bring for our beloved bookstores?
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