Independent Bookshop Week will proceed as planned during the week of June 20-27, the Booksellers Association of the U.K. and Ireland confirmed. Sponsored by Hachette UK, this year's celebration will focus on indies' "resilient spirit during the current crisis with virtual author events, online story times, Twitter chats and more," the Bookseller reported, adding that the campaign will include indies being "twinned" with independent publishers, as a way of underlining how small businesses are supporting each other at the moment.
Emma Bradshaw, head of campaigns at the BA, said: "Independent Bookshop Week 2020 may not be taking the form we imagined, but as bookshops across the U.K. and Ireland have demonstrated during the past months: where there is a will, there is a way. We look forward to revealing plans for this year's IBW, and to working with publishers and authors on supporting bookshops, while tapping into their communities to bring books to readers. In the current landscape people are turning to books for escapism, entertainment and education, and we hope that IBW will help to remind book-lovers how important it is to support their local high street by choosing a bookshop when they buy a book."
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"Can you spot the difference?" asked Canadian bookseller Munro's Books, Victoria, B.C.: "Protective plexiglass is just one of the safety measures we're putting in place as we eagerly work toward welcoming you through our doors again. We think the vibe around here can best be described as 'cheerful chaos' (the carpenter's drill is roaring away at this very moment), but as we brush the sawdust--and, er, regular dust--off our clothes at the end of each shift, we're filled with gratitude to be able to continue the fine work of bookselling. Thank you for continuing to support us through these strange times. We're in the home stretch now."
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In China, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on bricks-and-mortar bookstores, "which have struggled to survive in the gap between the physical and the online world, is both long-term and direct," and has been magnified by the outbreak, CGTN reported.
With the pandemic waning in China, bookstores are opening, but still look deserted. Sun Xiaodi, co-owner of Lihe bookstore, said: "Because the book unit price is very low, the profit is also very low, if we cannot sell a large number of books, the low profit cannot support the bookstore at all." To enter the bookstore, customers need a reservation and must make an appointment a day ahead.
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Bookstores in France were allowed to reopen May 11, "as the government tries to balance the need to resuscitate a crashing economy with the risk that the spread of the coronavirus accelerates once more," CNA reported, noting that at the Ici bookstore in Paris, wearing a mask is compulsory and hand sanitizer is readily available "to allow customers to pick up and flick through whichever book catches their eye."
"People are being careful not to touch the books too much. And we tell them that if they touch the books, they can but they must use the (sanitizing) gel each time," said co-founder Anne-Laure Vial. "The difficulty comes if we don't get enough business to cover our costs. We must hold on for several months. It's not a given."
During a visit to another bookstore last week, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said booksellers "have very weak margins, very weak profits, and so they could have trouble finding the finances to pay back loans. We could have a string of bankrupt bookstores. That's exactly what we want to avoid."