Independent bookshops from across the United Kingdom and Ireland continue to thrive with imagination and innovation boosting sales, amidst rising challenges on the high street.

72 independent bookshops selected as regional and country finalists for The British Book Awards 2025 Independent Bookshop of the Year, announced today.

From a record number of submissions, 72 independent bookshops are listed as finalists across nine different
regions and countries, including ten in Scotland, North England, London, South-West England and South-East
England respectively and seven in Midlands. Within these regions, Bristol alone boasts three finalists, while for the first time Manchester has two bookshops appearing (along with a brace from nearby Stockport) and Northern Ireland celebrates the most finalists ever with three shops recognised.

East England
Jarrolds | Norwich
Kett’s Books | Wymondham
Norfolk Children’s Book Centre | Alby
Red Lion Books | Colchester
The Holt Bookshop | Holt
Maldon Books | Maldon

Island of Ireland
Bridge Books | Dromore
Little Acorns Bookstore | Derry
Tales for Tadpoles | Bray, Co Wicklow
Tertulia Bookshop | Westport, Co Mayo
The Secret Bookshelf | Carrickfergus

London
Backstory | Balham
Bàrd Books | Bow
Brick Lane Bookshop | Shoreditch
Children’s Bookshop | Muswell Hill
Goldsboro Books | Covent Garden
Housmans Bookshop | King’s Cross
Nomad Books | Fulham
Pages of Hackney | Hackney
Queen’s Park Books | Queen’s Park
The Gilded Acorn | Holborn

Midlands
Booka Bookshop | Oswestry
Burway Books | Church Stretton
Kibworth Books | Kibworth
Poetry Pharmacy | Bishop’s Castle
The Heath Bookshop | King’s Heath, Birmingham
The Rabbit Hole | Brigg
Wonderland Bookshop | Retford

North England
House of Books & Friends | Manchester
Kemps Books & General Store | Malton
Linghams Bookshop | Heswall
Pickering Book Tree | Pickering
Queer Lit | Manchester
Sam Read Bookseller | Grasmere
Serenity Booksellers| Stockport
Simply Books | Bramhall
The Little Ripon Bookshop | Ripon
Wave of Nostalgia | Haworth

Scotland
Heron & Willow | Jedburgh
Far From the Madding Crowd | Linglithgow
Night Owl Books | East Linton
Seahorse Bookstore | Ardrossan
The Bookhouse | Broughty Ferry
The Book Nook | Stewarton
The Edinburgh Bookshop | Edinburgh
The Ginger Cat Bookshop | Bridge of Weir
The Wee Bookshop | Dollar
Ullapool Bookshop | Ullapool

South-East England
Afrori Books | Brighton
Caper | Oxford
David’s Bookshop | Letchworth
Hungerford Bookshop | Hungerford
Medina Books | Cowes, Isle of Wight
Mostly Books | Abingdon
The Book Shop | Lee-on-the-Solent
The Margate Bookshop| Margate
The Wallingford Bookshop | Wallingford

South-West England
Bert’s Books | Swindon
bookhaus | Bristol
Falmouth Bookseller | Falmouth
FOLDE Dorset | Shaftesbury
Gloucester Road Books | Bristol
Liznojan Books | Tiverton
Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights | Bath
Storysmith | Bristol
The East Gate Bookshop | Totnes
Winstone’s Hunting Raven Books | Frome

Wales
Cover to Cover | Mumbles
Griffin Books | Penarth
The Berwyn Bookshop | Flintshire
The Bookshop by the Sea | Aberystwyth
The Bookshop Mold | Mold

The British Book Awards 2025 Independent Bookshop of the Year Award, sponsored by book wholesaler Gardners, celebrates stores that reach beyond the literary landscape and bring books to the heart of local
communities.

Tom Tivnan, The Bookseller managing editor, said:
“The last year has been a drab time for the High Street with declining footfall and rising prices, but what has
been underscored by our regional and country finalists is that independent bookshops are beacons of hope amid the gloom. I have been judging this award for a decade and a half and I have never seen such depth of quality and energy in the submissions, from the newcomers to most venerable stores. British and Irish indies continue to thrive, despite the overall climate, with entrepreneurship and creativity. These finalists are wonderfully unique and idiosyncratic, but there is a link in that all of them are not confined by the four walls of their shops – they are out in their communities organising festivals, visiting schools, bringing authors to town. Sure, they sell a lot of books but that is just the start: independent bookshops are Britain and Ireland’s local cultural lynchpins.”

The shops will vie to win their region first before contending for the overall prize, which will be announced when The British Book Awards ceremony returns to central London on Monday 12th May 2025. The overall Independent Bookshop of the Year winner will also be in the running to be crowned Book Retailer of the Year.

Ruth Gardner, Gardners’ UK Sales Manager, said: “Every independent bookshop has a unique story to tell, and we are proud to support those who make reading more accessible and magical for everyone. This award recognizes their invaluable contribution. Independent bookshops are at the heart of the book world, bringing communities together and championing the joy of reading. We’re proud to support the Independent Bookshop of the Year award and would like to all entrants the very best of luck and can’t wait to be part of this journey with them.”

There are 14 debut finalists all celebrated for the first time, including Bàrd Books (London), which only opened
its doors in July 2024, and two children’s specialists shops, Tales for Tadpoles (Island of Ireland) and Caper (South- East England). Bookshops powered by a specialist interest and passion continue to flourish, with the regional and country finalists including Queer Lit (North England), Manchester’s shop tackling the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in the literary scene; The Gilded Acorn (London), the shop aspiring to be the world’s most sustainable bookshop with its environmentally-friendly bookselling; and House of Books & Friends (North England), the purpose-led bookshop combatting loneliness in the city centre of Manchester. The 2023 overall winner Penarth’s Griffin Books (Wales) will be looking to reclaim the prestigious title of Independent Bookshop of the Year, returning as a finalist again this year. Meanwhile, Carolynn Bain, the founder of Afrori Books (South-East England), will be looking to convert 2023's Individual Bookseller of the Year win into a victory for the entire bookshop. Many of last year’s regional and country winners are finalists once again, with Haworth’s Wave of Nostalgia (North England), Tower Hamlets’ Brick Lane Bookshop (London), Bishop’s Castle’s Poetry Pharmacy (Midlands), Stewarton’s The Book Nook (Scotland), Shaftesbury’s FOLDE Dorset (South-West England) and Carrickfergus’s The Secret Bookshelf (Island of Ireland) all competing to win the crown two years in a row.

Meryl Halls, Managing Director, Booksellers Association of the United Kingdom & Ireland, said:
“From being trusted curators, to championing authors, to fostering communities of likeminded individuals, to bringing local jobs and essential footfall to shopping districts, the role that independent bookshops play within the book trade, wider society and economy is more vital than ever. We are delighted to see this superb selection of finalists, and their invaluable contribution, recognised as cornerstones of the book industry.”

The Regional and Country Winners of the Independent Bookshop of the Year award will be announced on Tuesday 11th March, whilst the overall winner will be revealed during The British Book Awards ceremony at Grosvenor House London on Monday 12th May 2025.

For all media enquires please contact Izzy Warner at FMcM Associates on [email protected]