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Booksellers launch sales drive

11.07.07 Graeme Neill

High street booksellers have rolled out aggressively-priced campaigns in a bid to keep driving the book market.

W H Smith launched a blanket 3-for-2 offer on every book in its high street stores several weeks ago with no end in sight. The retailer is also offering steep discounts on selected chart hardbacks including James Patterson's The Quickie and J R R Tolkein's Children of Hurin at half price.

Waterstone's is offering each week's Richard & Judy Summer Read title at £1.99, if more than £10 is spent in store. It also has more than 20 hardbacks and paperbacks at half price, including Ian Rankin's Naming the Dead, Dick Francis' Under Orders and Gary Barlow's My Take.

Borders' weekly half-price Doorbuster title is Peter Kay's The Sound of Laughter, and it is also offering half price on backlist titles by Richard and Judy authors.

The campaigns have helped drive the book market, which last week recorded the third highest sales revenue of 2007.

The entertainment market has appeared to remain unaffected by the dip in high street spending that analysts have blamed on the turbulent weather. However, retail experts have warned that spending will be affected with further rises expected to put a curb on disposable income.

Retail W H Smith waterstone's Borders Graeme Neill

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