Chains may 'miss out' on school boost

Chain booksellers are in danger of missing out on the extra £49m available to schools to buy books, a leading player in the market told delegates at a children's bookselling seminar at the London International Book Fair this week.

Linda Banner, associate director of marketing at Orchard Books, said that the lack of information on new education initiatives and the variability in "trained and informed" staff at all levels had left bookshops ill-prepared for the increased spending announced in last month's Budget.

Not all bookshops would miss out though. She praised some chains, including W H Smith and Ottakars, for showing that a "focused approach and positive attitude" to children's bookselling could pay off. But she said that their performance, and that of Waterstones and Dillons, depended too much on the "enthusiasm and expertise" of local branch buyers.

"There was and is an opportunity for 'real' books to find their way into schools," she said. "A creative interpretation of needs will result in sales."

She called for more dissemination of information by central offices, as "real bookseller knowledge can fast-track sales and raise turnover". With the Year of Numeracy fast approaching, the Booksellers Association should also take a more proactive role in informing booksellers about its potential effects on demand, she added.

See LIBF conference report, pages 11–13.