The British Book Awards today announced the regional and country finalists for the 2022 Independent Bookshop of the Year Awards and Hungerford Bookshop is one of them. Despite fears for the survival of independent bookstores during Covid restrictions, their deep ties to their individual communities have proved a strength. This year, 63 bookstores from nine regions and countries compete to be named Best Independent Retailer.
Emma Milne-White, co-owner of Hungerford Bookshop, is naturally thrilled to have reached the regional stages: “We are all delighted to have reached the regional finals We have sold books and reached customers.
“Independent bookstores tend to be very innovative and at the heart of their communities.
“It was nice to be recognized for our hard work over the past year.”
The shops first compete for victory in their region before vying for the overall prize to be announced at the British Book Awards winners ceremony on Monday May 23rd of the year.
The Independent Bookshop of the Year Awards honors those businesses that continue to support local communities with great books that have offered joy, distraction and comfort to the nation’s readers during these turbulent times. In the last two years, independent bookshops across the UK and Isle of Ireland have completely transformed their operating models to put books in the hands of readers. This has ranged from bike deliveries to local customers to booksellers, who were quick to build new e-commerce platforms, while also creating new channels for interactive video content to replace in-person events.
Along with Hungerford Bookshop, the other finalists from South East England are:
Books on the Hill | St Albans
Bookshop Chorleywood | Chorleywood
Coles Books | Bicester
Mostly books | Abingdon
October Books | southampton
P&G Wells | Winchester
Steyning bookstore | Steyning
The Book Corner | Hove
The Bookstore | Lee on the Solent
The Haslemere Bookshop | Haslemere
The Bookseller Editor-in-Chief Tom Tivnan says: “When the pandemic first hit, the wisdom in the book trade was that independent booksellers might be the most vulnerable. They have proved far from proven as India has prospered over the past two years through close ties with their communities. The regional and country finalists in this year’s Independent Bookshop of the Year reflect a wide diversity across the UK and Ireland, with a thread of innovation running through it, whether they are one of Britain’s most venerable indies or one of the newest.”
The 2022 regional and country winners will be announced on Wednesday 16 March, with the overall winner being announced at a ceremony in central London.
- The British Book Awards or Nibbies have been the leading awards for the book trade since 1990. Celebrating the best books, the best bookshops and the best publishers, they are supported by all major industry bodies including The Publishers Association, The Booksellers Association and The Independent Publishers Guild. According to leading industry experts, it is considered the “BAFTA of the book trade”.
- The Bookseller has been the business magazine for the book industry since 1858; including the even earlier Bent’s Literary Advertiser, founded in 1802. It is one of the UK’s longest running magazines. Online, thebookseller.com is the UK’s most visited book retail website. With the largest bookshop-focused editorial team in the UK, the site is the one-stop destination for the latest, breaking news, in-depth features and more. @thebookseller has more than 200,000 followers on Twitter. The company is based in London and owned by The Stage Media Company Ltd. www.thebookseller.com
