nickshanagher

The reason that US bookshops are failing is not because of competition from the internet but because selling books in big box out-of-town warehouses dos not work, suggests maverick Financial Times columnist Tyler Brûlé in his latest Fast Lane column. We need to “challenge the ingrained notion that … a super-size store is a superior place to shop.” Mr Brûlé does not declare an interest but his Monocle shop just of Marylebone High Street in London is one of the smallest I have visited. However, on the subject of bookshops he argues that if you ask most people what the perfect one looks like they think about:  Small windows stocked with titles selected by the shop’s long serving staff  Well worn tables stacked with a combination of new releases and classics  A comfortable atmosphere with room to browse  Decently paid staff able to offer advice, the men wearing “cosy cardigans” and the women favouring “loafers, kilts and turtlenecks”. “Perhaps the most important detail is...

Shopkeepers may learn good lessons from other shopkeepers who sell completely different ranges. A reason for this is that you are all competing for the attention of customers and today there is an oversupply of things for people to buy. So what works in one store can be adapted by you. I bought a copy of the April issue of Monocle because of its cover line: "The art of sell: the world's best shopkeeping and retail stars". Underneath there was a snappy illustration showing a man about town buying things. The first time I looked at the 25 stars I thought that I had been sold a pup. I was underwhelmed. On a second reading, I started to find stuff that was really interesting. Firstly, the magazine says that its guide is a "celebration of good design, the art of doing the basics well and knowing how to treat people." Looking closely at the photographs you can see how these three values interact. Second, there is a short interview with Bonnie Brooks, president of the ...