Bookworms Rejoice at the Reopening of Bookstores

Bookstores reopened in England and Wales, the United Kingdom, after a long run of being closed due to the pandemic. And within the first week, sales jumped by a third thanks to all the enthusiastic and eager readers!

“Being back amongst the shelves, touching the books and talking about books, is the best – recommending books is something that I think everyone’s just been desperate for,” says Waterstones CEO Kate Skipper. “If you don’t know what you want to read, I don’t think you can replicate being in a bookshop.”

Booksellers were able to reopen their doors on the 12th of April and by the 17th, a total of 3.7 million books were sold, meaning that the print market experienced a growth of 33% in volume and 32.5% in value. In 2020, 202 million books were sold despite bookstores being physically closed. The pandemic contributed to the eight-year high in book sales last year.