Keep Books on the High Street

The BA is currently progressing a pro-High Street campaign, which began in October 2011, which we are referring to as Keep Books on the High Street.

Our most recent POS focuses on the role high street booksellers play as full tax payers, and allows booksellers to get the point across to consumers.  Click here to download the PURSE design and here to download the MONEY design.  Click here for the Irish Euro version and the Irish Flag version. 

       
   



Find Your Local Bookshop
As part of the BA's Keep Books on the High Street campaign, we are encouraging all our friends and partners in the book trade to take a step in favour of contemporary high street bookshops.  We believe consumers deserve the choice of shopping with their local bookseller, whether on the high street or on their website.  So we urge you to introduce the idea of bookshops to your website visitors.  Here’s how…
 
We have created a Find Your Local Bookshop button, whic, used in conjunction with this link -  http://www.booksellers.org.uk/Search-Tools/Bookshop-search.aspx - will take visitors to the BA bookshop search page, where they can search the over 3500 outlets in BA membership.  BA members range from single independents in market towns, to campus bookstores, through Christian specialists, to large national bookselling chains and supermarkets.    Consumers can search for All BA members, Independents Only and/or Chain and Independent Booksellers – and can then decide whether to buy online or visit their community bookshop.

If you would like a copy of the image file, email meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk or download it here Button

Independent Booksellers Week
IBW (30th June to 7th July) successfully used the High Street Campaign message at its heart and allowed bookshops to continue promoting the campaign to consumers during a week of celebration around books, authors and events.  See www.independentbooksellersweek.org.uk for full details and see below for the IBW Campaign poster.  


Ebooks in Bookshops
The recent BA AGM included presentations from three ebook suppliers offering services allowing independent booksellers to sell ebooks in-store and on-line. Here are links to trade press coverage of the AGM:
AGM-Report-BookBrunch
AGM-Ebooks-Report-Bookseller
AGM-Report-Bookseller

Mary Portas Review Update
Twelve town centres across the country will have a unique opportunity to revitalise their high streets after being selected to be the first Portas Pilots, 

More information is available from http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/2151943

High Street Illustration (Dermott Flynn)Illustration by Dermott Flynn


Local Government Minister Grant Shapps praised the exceptional quality of the winning bids, which will each receive a slice of £1.2 million and a tailored package of support from both the Minister and retail guru Mary Portas.


From Stockport to Margate, successful pilots will be helped to implement their ideas to rejuvenate the town centre, as well as test out the measures in Mary Portas's High Street Review.
 

First Round Winners
The first 12 Portas Pilot towns are:
 

  • Bedford, Bedfordshire - offering mentoring support for High Street businesses and community use of empty properties.
  • Croydon, Greater London - transforming the riot-stricken area's historic Old Town market into a thriving market, food and cultural quarter.
  • Dartford, Kent - opening up central spaces for use by classes and clubs, from the Scouts to Slimming World and starting a 'school for shopkeepers'.
  • Bedminster, Bristol - putting Bedminster on the map for Street Art and Street Theatre. A bicycle rickshaw service and a review of parking will also tackle the traffic environment.
  • Liskeard, Cornwall - competing against the edge of town supermarket with a vibrant arts scene, guerrilla gardening and yarn bombing to inject fun back into the town centre.
  • Margate, Kent - putting education and enjoyment at the heart of the town centre's transformation with courses, 'job club' services and pop up shops.
  • Market Rasen, Lincolnshire - drawing customers in by restoring the market town look and feel, advertising free parking and mentoring new businesses.
  • Nelson, Lancashire - attracting local students with a young persons café, sports activities, and a new art and vintage market.
  • Newbiggin by the Sea, Northumberland - better branding of the town to draw people in, improving local transport and hosting pop up shops.
  • Stockport, Greater Manchester - realising the character and potential of the Markets and Underbanks area with a creative arts complex, outdoor screenings, a new parking strategy and street champions.
  • Stockton on Tees, Teesside - live entertainment at the Globe Theatre to boost the evening leisure economy alongside specialist High Street and evening markets.
  • Wolverhampton, West Midlands - bringing the city will to life with modern day town criers and on-street performers and a 'dragon's den' style competition to support local entrepreneurs.
Portas Pilots Second Round
Information on bidding for the second round can be downloaded below - the closing date is 30 June 2012:
Portas Pilots Round 2: Prospectus - an invitation to become a Town Team
Portas Review Pilots Application Form: Round 2

Background Materials on Portas
High Streets at the heart of our communities: The Government's Response to the Mary Portas Review can be found at: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/regeneration/portasreviewresponse.
Government response to Mary Portas High Street Review is welcomed but needs to go further says BA 
12-03-30-BA-response-to-Govt-report-on-Mary-Portas-High-Street-Review

Press Coverage
BA slams government for business rate inaction - http://www.thebookseller.com/news/ba-slams-government-business-rate-inaction.html
Portas Review - BA wants more from Government - http://www.bookbrunch.co.uk/article.asp?pid=portas_review_ba_wants_more_from_government


LOBBYING ACTIVITY
Other recent communication focussed on BA members writing to MPs to inform a Commons debate on the health of the high street.  Here is the recent letter from Tim Godfray to all BA members:

Write to your MP

The debate transcript, mentioning at least one bookshop - Silverdell in Kirkham, Lancashire - is available here.

Tim Godfray has also written a letter to all Local Authorities in England and encouraged BA members to do the same:

Local Authority Letter

Below are press releases about the recent lobbying activity, and the letter to and reply from, Eric Pickles:
PR re HOC Debate
PR re local authority tax cut
Letter to Eric Pickles
Reply from Eric Pickles

Also some press coverage:
PR-High-Street-Telegraph-30-01-2012
PR-High-Street-i-01-02-2012
PR-High-Street-The-Bookseller-30-01
PR-High-Street-Bookbrunch-30-01

Campaign Overview & Previous Activity
More generally, the target groups for the campaign are:

      1. Consumers 
      2. Publishers 
      3. Press 
      4. Regional and National Government

In October, the BA released a press release calling for action - click here to view the press release.  Major press coverage included BBC Six O'clock News, national press and broadcast news and extensive trade press coverage.
Also in the autumn, we published the following articles in support of the campaign:

1. Yorkshire Post Article by Tim Godfray
2.  Christian Marketplace article

We also made statements regarding Charity Shops which garnered a fair bit of press coverage:

Charity Shops Statement

Downloadable Point-of-Sale has been produced for booksellers to support the consumer campaign and promote to their customers.  Booksellers who would like more posters or bookmarks can email meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk
anna.clarke@booksellers.org.uk

Below are the POS items available to download for booksellers:

Download Banner
Download Flyer
Download Bookmark

We also have a banner designed for our academic booksellers, referring to 'campus' rather than 'high street'.

Download Campus Banner

Publishers are being encouraged to review the financial model of the supply chain to promote a healthy high street
The BA is also actively lobbying Government specifically on the issues of town centre parking, business rates, and town planning.

Below are BA submissions on relevant areas:

1. Mary Portas Review Submission

2. OFT Amazon/Book Depository Submission

3. OFT Competition in the Bookselling Sector Letter