Bookstores Industry Profile

Companies in this industry sell books from physical retail locations; they may also sell via websites. Major companies include Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Follett (all based in the US), as well as Fnac Darty (France), Indigo Books & Music (Canada), Kinokuniya (Japan), Thalia (Germany), and Waterstones and WHSmith (both based in the UK).

The global book market is valued at $82.24 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $86.14 billion by 2028, according to Statista. The US, China, Germany, Japan, and India are some of the top countries in terms of book sales.

The US bookstores industry includes about 6,500 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $10 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

The potential long-term effects to bookstores as a result of the coronavirus outbreak may be severe. Store closures and social distancing by consumers will drive sales lost to online booksellers, notably Amazon, which the industry has been battling for decades. Already suffering year-over-year declines in sales, COVID-19 is likely to accelerate sales declines at bookstores. However, the global book market is expected to recover after a decrease in sales from 2019 to 2020. The market is expected to reach about $86.14 billion in 2023, according to Statista.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

The industry is segmented into general, college, and specialty bookstores. Main revenue sources include the retail sales of books, which account for 50% of the industry revenue, ...