Monday, April 06, 2009

Books in Canada “Staple Not a Luxury”

Amid all the doom and gloom everyone keeps forecasting around the global economic crisis, it’s lovely to be able to share some really good news, not only for retailers, but for literacy.

BookNet Canada, the not-for-profit agency that watches book-related goings on in Canada, reports today that Canadian book sales have continued to show steady growth in the first quarter of 2009 over the same time period last year. Sales volume is up 6.7 per cent in the first three months of this year.

Michael Tamblyn, BookNet Canada’s CEO, sounds optimistic for the industry. “This was when the other shoe was supposed to drop, after Christmas when gift sales were no longer a factor. But in the face of declining book sales in the US and UK, we are still seeing steady performance in English-language Canadian book sales in Q1.”

Tamblyn feels that the numbers might indicate a change in perspective. “For the time being, Canadians continue to view books as a staple, not a luxury.”

BookNet offers up reporting information here.

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