Bookbarn grows sales of real books by extending global reach and local connections

Hallatrow-based Bookbarn International has appointed Nick Bates to a major re-launch of the company’s multi-faceted, local and global book-selling business.

The company has grown in the last five years generating sales of more than £1.6m compared to just £400k in 2013.

Nick Bates, recently Associate Publisher at Harper Collins, said: “From a business exploiting the growth in e-commerce, we have grown into a multi-channelled business with strong bulk sales in the UK and overseas, in addition to our strong online marketplace sales around the world.

“Our bricks-and-mortar Bookbarn Bargain Bookshop is thriving in the printed book market that has grown in the last three years, complemented by our award-winning Full Stop Café which has become a destination in its own right which has seen significant development in the last few months. The Barn is becoming a mecca for all booklovers – readers and authors alike. The Bookbarn management has overhauled every aspect of the cataloguing, fulfilment and warehousing systems. The business has stepped up a gear.

“Bookbarn International is a fine example of the ‘think global, act local’ mantra: we source all our books locally in the UK, while providing local authors and readers a haven and selling to more than 30 countries around the world.

“We strive to act on our positive action mind-set by working with charities to promote their work, bringing diverse groups to Bookbarn International and shouting about the positive environmental impact of what we do and what more we can do working with local environmental projects.

“We want to encourage people to recycle unwanted books with us instead of chucking them away. Not one of the 750,000 books in our warehouse will ever go to landfill. As well as our recycling and sales operations, our reputation as a visitor destination is important to us. Our award-winning Full Stop café is bringing more and more people and helping the business become a key community asset.”