Independent bookshop numbers fall slightly in 2024
The Booksellers Association reports 1,052 independent bookshops in membership at the end of 2024, down from 1,063, with 45 new shops opening.
The Booksellers Association released its annual membership figures on 10 January 2025. The number of independent bookshops in its membership fell from 1,063 to 1,052 during 2024, continuing the slight decline seen in 2023.
Forty-five new independent bookshops opened in 2024, compared with 51 in 2023. The association noted that numbers remain well above the 2016 low of 867, and set the figures against wider retail closures reported by the Centre for Retail Research.
Alongside the membership count, the association's survey of more than 150 independent bookshops found that 56% saw Christmas sales rise year on year in 2024. Their main concerns for 2025 related to financial pressures, including the cost of living, the economy, staff costs and energy bills.
Why it matters: independent bookshops are an important route to readers for small publishers and debut authors, especially for handselling and events. A small net fall, with new openings still coming through, suggests a sector holding its ground under cost pressure rather than one in rapid decline.
Sources: Booksellers Association: 2024 independent bookshop numbers; The Bookseller: Number of indie bookshops falls.