Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Ottakar's is taken over by HMV
The independent bookstore chain Ottakar's has been taken over by HMV, the music and books group, who own Waterstones. Many authors and publishers will not be happy with this, fearing that this will mean less choice for the customer as book stock will be limited to mainly best sellers.
The chief executive of HMV denies this saying,
"This will enable Ottakar's to offer an even wider and more relevant range of books, and to provide customers with an enhanced shopping experience."
It is sad to see the smaller independent booksellers struggling against the competition from the larger chains and the supermarkets. It would be extremely sad if all book shops ended up looking identical and selling exactly the same range of books.
I think it is important to support the smaller bookseller in your town if you are lucky enough to have one!
The chief executive of HMV denies this saying,
"This will enable Ottakar's to offer an even wider and more relevant range of books, and to provide customers with an enhanced shopping experience."
It is sad to see the smaller independent booksellers struggling against the competition from the larger chains and the supermarkets. It would be extremely sad if all book shops ended up looking identical and selling exactly the same range of books.
I think it is important to support the smaller bookseller in your town if you are lucky enough to have one!
# posted by Pinewood Library @ 12:39 PM 
