Bookshops and their contribution to the economy

There is precious little love lost between traditional "bricks and mortar" booksellers and their giant retail rival Amazon. A new report estimates that booksellers make a sizeable contribution to the British economy including a vastly higher level of corporation tax contribution.

The report from the Centre for Economic and Business Research claims that "bookshops contribute an estimated £1.9bn to the UK economy annually, support 46,000 jobs, and contribute £416m in wages and staff costs."

Where tax is concerned, the report find that "UK bookshops pay £131m in tax (including £12m in corporation tax), equating to 91p per £100 of turnover, which is 11 times the amount of tax paid by online retailer Amazon, which contributes 8p per £100 of turnover."

We have known about the threat to bookstore for many years now. Many have successfully transformed their business by adding in food and drink (good coffee and wifi is always popular) and by focusing on the quality of face-to-face consumer service that many people respond to.