Albums, mini-sheets, prints and other gifts, including the Commissioner of Irish Lights Prestige Booklet are now available.Like Ireland, France is a nation that holds literature and books in high regard. In that vein, the French government has pledged €9 million to bolster its beleaguered independent bookshop sector which is struggling to compete with multinational online retailers like Amazon. Small booksellers in France believe Amazon has a competitive advantage because it can offer free postage and free delivery, something that is out of reach for the average bookshop. The situation is similar in the UK where independent booksellers are calling for the government to intervene. In 2012, at least one bookshop per week closed down in the UK, while Amazon's tax practices have also come under major scrutiny. The company which made profits of about €5 billion last year, paid less than €3 million in tax to the Exchequer, something that has caused much consternation, with independent booksellers referring to the company as its "main threat".
But what is the situation like in Ireland? Is the threat from the online sector, pushing the physical and independent booksellers off the high street. Like France and the UK, bookshops in Ireland are trying to survive in a struggling economy and also in the glaring headlights of big multinationals like Amazon. "The situation in Ireland is quite similar to the UK," says Bob Johnston. He is the owner of The Gutter Bookshop in Dublin's Temple Bar, but also serves as the current chairman of the Irish branch of the Bookseller's Association of the UK and Ireland. He says: "Amazon are a huge multinational retailer and they are the biggest threat to physical bookshops in Ireland. They also contribute little to the Irish economy in terms of tax and employment. As a big multinational, they are hoovering up as many customers as they can. There needs to be a balance." In the last few years, a number of book chains like Waterstones and Hughes & Hughes have closed shops in Ireland.
In March, Hughes & Hughes closed an outlet in Dundrum Town Centre with the loss of eight jobs. Two years earlier it was Waterstones, which closed with almost 50 redundancies. That is the climate that independent bookshops are operating in. "The situation may be stable in Ireland at the moment but the threat is real. Independent booksellers have the double whammy of a poor economy and poor customer spending power, as well as the online threat," says Johnston. "There have been a number of bookshop closures over the last few years. There are less independent book stores than 10 years ago, and even five years ago." It would seem that going down the online route is almost inevitable for bookshops that want to survive and compete. The Gutter Bookshop has an online presence but does not sell via the Internet, preferring the face-to-face feel of the traditional bookshop. "There's a big push for independent shops to sell online but there is no need to compete directly with Amazon.
While everyone needs an online presence to encourage potential customers into bookshops, you still have to play to your strengths. Our strengths are recommending books for our customers and personalized customer service," explains Johnston. "With Amazon, they recommend books using online algorithms. There are advantages and disadvantages with that. The main disadvantage is that they end up recommending similar authors which means the chances of discovering a new author or genre is limited." But should the government step in to try and level the playing field as the French government are attempting? "France is an interesting development in terms of values, and how they value literature, culture and traditional bookshops. It's something the Irish government should look into," says Johnston. "In Ireland, independent businesses are struggling across the board in every sector. But with the online push, there is a danger on getting hooked on progress to the extent that you throw away the good things about physical shops."
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