The Booksellers Association has released a report on The Cultural Role and Value of England’s Independent Bookshops. It found that Indie bookshops have adapted creatively to challenges like online competition, urban decline, and the pandemic, fostering local culture through events and engagement. Their impact has included cultural enrichment, community engagement, boosting children’s literacy and inclusion, and support for authors and artistic growth.
The report emphasises that positive collaborations between bookshops, arts centers, and libraries are key to their success, though challenges remain in securing grants and funding. The report calls for more government and industry support to strengthen bookshops’ cultural roles.
James Urquhart of the Arts Council England described the findings in the report as “clear evidence of the many ways in which the Indie Bookshop sector actively supports communities, culture and creativity in ways that strongly align to our strategy; and its conclusion suggests ways in which the Arts Council may work with the BA and Indies to enhance this offer further.”
The research was commissioned by Arts Council England in December 2023 as part of its Let’s Create strategy. It was conducted by Howard Davies for the Booksellers Association of UK and Ireland. Over 160 independent bookshop members in England contributed to the survey. Twenty-six “deep dive” interviews were held with booksellers to explore themes identified in the survey.
