UK print market up 5% in volume, value

In the UK, Nielsen BookScan has estimated the 2020 print book market rose 5.2% in volume and 5.5% in value compared to 2019, reports the Bookseller.

BookScan used its Books and Consumers survey responses and historical data to fill the 17-week gap left by pandemic lockdowns. It estimated that a total of 202 million books sold for £1.76 billion (A$3.12b), making it the first time the annual print volume topped 200 million since 2012 and the highest annual value since 2009.

In 2019 the print market was up 2.4% in value and 0.4% in volume, according to BookScan.

UK publishers association CEO Stephen Lotinga said: ‘It’s heartening to see that print sales increased last year, despite the significant challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic. Books are a vital source of entertainment, comfort and education and these things have been particularly necessary recently.’

In 2020 Nielsen said it had not been able to collect sales data for 13 weeks from 21 March to 20 June, due to the ‘unprecedented temporary closure of bookshops’.

Category: International news