Hungerford's indie bookshop a finalist in major industry award
The British Book Awards have today revealed the regional and country finalists for the 2022 Independent Bookshop of the Year Award and Hungerford Bookshop is one of them. Despite fears for the survival of indie bookshops during Covid restrictions, their close links with their individual communities proved a strength. Overcoming high street disruptions and lockdowns, and with an abundance of newcomers, this year 63 bookshops from nine regions and countries are competing to be named the best independent retailer.
Hungerford Bookshop co-owner Emma Milne-White is, of course, thrilled to have reached the regional stages: "We are all delighted to have reached the regional final. It has been a year of challenges and the bookshop had to radically adapt the way we sold books and reached customers.
"Independent Bookshops are generally highly innovative and at the heart of their communities.
"It has been lovely to have been recognised for our hard work throughout last year. "
The shops will compete to win their region first, before vying for the overall prize, which will be announced at The British Book Awards winner ceremony on Monday, May 23. The overall Independent Bookshop of the Year winner will also compete to be crowned Retailer of the Year.
The Independent Bookshop of the Year Award celebrates those stores that have continued to support local communities with magnificent books, which have provided enjoyment, distraction and succour for the nation’s readers during these turbulent times. The past two years have seen independent bookshops up and down the UK and the Island of Ireland completely transform their operational models in order to get books into the hands of readers. This has ranged from bicycle deliveries to local customers, to booksellers rapidly building new e-commerce platforms, while also creating new channels for interactive video content to replace in-person events.
Along with Hungerford Bookshop, the other South East England finalists are:
Books On The Hill | St Albans
Chorleywood Bookshop | Chorleywood
Coles Books | Bicester
Mostly Books | Abingdon
October Books | Southampton
P&G Wells | Winchester
Steyning Bookshop | Steyning
The Book Nook | Hove
The Book Shop | Lee-on-the-Solent
The Haslemere Bookshop | Haslemere
The Bookseller’s managing editor Tom Tivnan says: “The received wisdom in the book trade when the pandemic first hit was that independent booksellers might be the most vulnerable. They have proved anything but as through close ties to their communities, indies have flourished for the last two years. This year ’s Independent Bookshop of the Year regional and country finalists reflect a broad diversity across the UK and Ireland with the thread of innovation running through, no matter if they are one of the UK’s most venerable indies or one of its newest.”
The 2022 regional and country winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 16, with the overall winner being unveiled at a ceremony in Central London.
- The British Book Awards or Nibbies has been the leading awards for the book trade since 1990. Celebrating the best books, the best bookshops and the best publishers it is supported by all major industry associations including The Publishers Association, The Booksellers Association and the Independent Publishers Guild. Judged by leading industry experts it is regarded as ‘the BAFTAs of the book trade’.
- The Bookseller has been the business magazine of the book industry since 1858; incorporating the even earlier Bent’s Literary Advertiser, established in 1802. It is one of the UK’s longeststandingmagazines. Online, thebookseller.com is the book trade’s most visited UK site. With the largest book trade-focused editorial team in the UK, the website is the place to go for the latest, breaking news, in-depth features and more. On Twitter, @thebookseller has more than 200,000 followers. The business is based in London and owned by The Stage Media Company Ltd. www.thebookseller.com
