‘Bookshops here to stay’ says ABA
The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) has responded to comments made by Small Business Minister Nick Sherry yesterday, in which the Minister suggested that most bookshops in Australia would be gone in five years time.
In a press release entitled ‘bookshops are here to stay’, the ABA responded:
"Small business minister Nick Sherry has acted irresponsibly and put thousands of jobs at risk by suggesting that Australian bookshops will be dead in five years" said Jon Page the president of the Australian Booksellers Association, which represents all bookshops in Australia- campus, chain, independent and online.
Responding to Senator Sherry’s comments yesterday, Mr Page said, "I find it extraordinary and very alarming that a federal minister is talking down an industry that is facing tough times like so many businesses in the retail sector. As if bookstores weren’t facing enough hurdles with the ongoing fallout from the GFC, a slow retail market, we now have a person who is supposed to be our Small Business champion telling us we may as well close up our shops now and leave Australians without a local village bookshop to access.”
The retail sector is experiencing its worst slump in 20 years however Australian bookshops are among the most successful in the world. Australians buy more books per capita than any other English language country in the world. 2010 was the first year in 10 years that book sales did not grow in Australia. Mr Page said, "The market grew 0.4% in volume and was only down 4% in value in 2010 which I think would compare favourably against other retail industries in a very tough economic climate."
Mr Page said the Australian market differed greatly from those in the US and UK. "The independents in Australia make up 20% per cent of the market, compared to the US where it’s only 9% and in the UK less than 4%. Collins and Dymocks franchise stores are also doing well as are the Angus & Robertson franchisees. This shows the diversity and range of bookshops that are in Australia. Our communities would be poorer places without local bookshops"
"This is not about online versus bricks and mortar. Australia has some fantastic online bookshops like Booktopia and Boomerang Books. The issue is whether retail spending should be local or overseas. If more consumers head offshore to spend their money that means there will be less GST collected by the Federal Government, which means there will be less revenue to spend on schools and hospitals. The Minister for Small Business should be promoting Australian small business, not denigrating it".
Booksellers are looking towards the future. The Australian Booksellers Association is working hard on finding solutions for its members–small, medium and large to be able to provide their customers with eBooks by the end of this year. "We do not have our heads in the sand; we are embracing the digital future. Ebooks are a wonderful opportunity for bookshops, not a threat," said Mr Page.
Category: Local news
