Henry Staunton is retiring from the board of WH Smith after nine years as chairman and will be succeeded by Annette Court as a non-executive director and chair designate, the Bookseller reported. Court joins the board effective September 1 and will succeed Staunton on December 1.
Simon Emeny, senior independent director, said that Court "has a proven track record as a chair of a publicly quoted company and brings a wealth of experience from her board appointments and has a strong background in financial services and technology."
He added: "On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Henry for the outstanding contribution he has made to the success of WH Smith. He has successfully guided the company through an exceptional period of growth and helped it overcome the impact of the pandemic. We wish him well in the future."
CEO Carl Cowling also expressed gratitude for Staunton's "wise counsel, guidance and support during my tenure as CEO. Henry has played a key role in contributing to the company's success and I would like to wish him well for the future. I am very much looking forward to working with Annette as we continue to expand the scale and footprint of the business and benefit from the many exciting opportunities that lie ahead of us."
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The latest edition of the European & International Booksellers Federation's Newsflash featured two items on consumer reading habits:
An article published by KVB Boekwerk examined the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the reading behavior of the Dutch. According to the platform's research, in 2020 and 2021, at the height of the pandemic, the share of Dutch people who read in their free time rose from 65% to 75%. The increased number of readers is most notable among the younger age groups (15-44 years) and can be attributed to lockdowns, which made other cultural activities less accessible.
A survey conducted by the French National Book Centre (Centre national du livre) revealed that 81% of French people aged between 7 to 25 years read for leisure. The Culture Pass, which was launched last year to facilitate young people's access to cultural activities, has also helped increase the levels of readership among the young French. Nevertheless, CNL pointed out a noticeable drop in leisure reading among teenagers, especially boys. How to bring young people back to reading? Experts agree that books must be "unschooled" and reading should become a social, contemporary activity.
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Christie's will host First Editions, Second Thoughts: An Auction to Benefit English PEN, from June 28 to July 12, featuring more than 80 annotated first edition books by internationally renowned writers. Art works from contemporary artists are also included in the auction. FEST is raising funds to support English PEN's work defending free expression and campaign for writers who are at risk.
English PEN president Philippe Sands commented: "It is thrilling to embark on a First Editions, Second Thoughts auction with Christie's. I am truly delighted to join such illustrious names with an annotated edition of East West Street, whose focus on international crimes assumes particular resonance in the face of the crime of aggression that is being perpetrated by Russia against Ukraine. Here, in the U.K., and around the world, the rule of law is more important than ever, as intolerance, division, and threats to freedom of expression are on the rise. Today, the work of English PEN is more important and relevant than ever, and this wonderful auction will help in its vital work."
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For sale: Australian indie Mary Who? Bookshop in Townsville, Queensland, which posted on Facebook: "As you may or may not know, Mary is on the market! Our efforts to promote the sale have been some what half-hearted--but now we're serious... it's time! So this is your chance to finally put that long held dream of owning a bookshop into reality. And not just any bookshop!" Check out the listing here. --Robert Gray