Bookshop closures blow to publishers

THE closure of Waterstone’s branches in Jervis Street and Dawson Street is a major blow to Ireland’s book industry, Publishing Ireland, the association of Irish publishers, has said.

The announcement, which will lead to the loss of 46 jobs, follows the collapse last year of booksellers Hughes & Hughes, the closure of wholesalers CMD Booksource and the cessation of trading of Merlin/Wolfhound publishers, has hit the sector hard.

Newly released Central Statistics Office (CSO) data suggests that the value of book, stationery and magazine sales plummeted by 9.3% since December 2009, and that the volume of sales is down by 10.7%.

“Our capital has lost some of its best-loved bookshops in the past few years.

“The latest closures are very regrettable, particularly in light of Dublin’s recent designation as UNESCO City of Literature,” said Jean Harrington, president of Publishing Ireland.