Gitnux/Report 2026

Bookstore Industry Statistics

With 2024 performance gains alongside relentless cost and conversion pressure, this page connects everything from Google’s mobile speed trap to the reality that 70% of carts are abandoned and 48% of U.S. online book sales flow through Amazon. You will also see what booking budgets face in rent, wages, utilities, and shipping alongside buyer behavior like 71% demanding real time inventory accuracy, making it a must read for anyone trying to keep a bookstore profitable in 2025 and beyond.
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November 11, 2026Updated
Bookstore Industry Statistics
Catherine WuWritten by Catherine Wu·Edited by Daniel Varga·Fact-checked by Peter Sandoval
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The bookstore industry at a glance

U.S. book stores generated $7.36 billion in sales in 2024, while independent bookselling expanded with 605 new stores opening in 2025 despite rising costs and online competition.

$7.36B[65]
U.S. bookstore sales, 2024
5,629[65]
Employer bookstore establishments, 2023
$21.7B[66]
U.S. trade publishing revenue, 2025
605[23]
New independent stores, 2025
Market size
U.S. book stores recorded $7.36 billion in employer-firm sales in 2024, plus $351.8 million from nonemployer businesses. The broader U.S. trade-publishing market, which supplies consumer books sold through bookstores and other channels, reached an estimated $21.7 billion in 2025.[65][66]
Market share & regions
The U.S. remains a major national market, with $7.36 billion in book-store sales in 2024. In the United Kingdom, publishing generated £4.5 billion in export revenue in 2024, while Brazil’s 2024 channel data identified bookstores as accounting for 31.3% of book sales, up from 28.9% in 2023.[65][67][68]
Segmentation
U.S. trade publishing revenue in 2025 was divided among adult fiction at $7.1 billion, adult nonfiction at $6.0 billion, children’s and young-adult fiction at $5.4 billion, children’s and young-adult nonfiction at $1.0 billion, and religious presses at $2.2 billion. By format, U.S. trade publishing remained predominantly print: hardback and paperback together represented 73.1% of trade revenue.[66]
Key players & concentration
The retail market combines large chains, online sellers, and thousands of independent stores. The U.S. Census Bureau counted 5,629 employer establishments classified as book stores in 2023, while the American Booksellers Association reported 605 new independent brick-and-mortar, pop-up, and mobile stores opening in 2025.[65][23]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Growth is being supported by fiction, children’s books, independent-store openings, and digital audio. In 2025, U.S. trade revenue rose 2.7% to $21.7 billion, digital audio increased 5.3%, and physical-retail publishing revenue rose 7.2% to $6.7 billion; booksellers nevertheless reported rising costs, tariffs, labor shortages, shipping problems, and thin margins as major constraints.[66][23]
Consumer behavior & competition
Independent bookstores showed strong recent consumer demand: 73.3% of 382 American Booksellers Association survey respondents said their 2025 sales increased from 2024, and 66.3% reported higher holiday sales. Competition remains channel-based, with online retail the largest U.S. publishing-sales channel at $12.3 billion in 2025, compared with $6.7 billion for physical retail.[23][66]
M&A
Consolidation continued in adjacent publishing and bookstore businesses. Barnes & Noble agreed to acquire the 10-store Books Inc. chain in a reported $3.25 million transaction, while Scholastic announced a definitive agreement in September 2026 to acquire Cottage Door Press for approximately $71 million.[12]
Regulation
Book availability is increasingly affected by school-library censorship rules and state-level restrictions. PEN America recorded 11,982 instances of book bans in U.S. public schools during the 2025–2026 school year, the highest annual total in its index, while the American Library Association documented 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025.[69][70]
Latest news
In September 2026, Scholastic announced a planned approximately $71 million acquisition of Cottage Door Press. In November 2026, the Strand Bookstore agreed to repay nearly $1.5 million after improperly receiving a federal pandemic-era small-business loan, highlighting continued financial and compliance pressures on independent booksellers.[19]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Bookstore Industry

The leading companies in the bookstore industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Barnes & Noble leads Gitnux's 2026 bookstore ranking with an Overall score of 9.6, with more than 730 bookstores in the United States. Hugendubel is the runner-up at 9.1, driven by more than 100 German branches.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in general book retail

    Barnes & Noble

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.6 · General book retail

    Why we picked it: It combines general book retail with a large in-store footprint, supporting sustained weekend dwell time in 2026.

    See in ranking ↓Visit barnesandnobleinc.com ↗

  2. Leader in omnichannel book retail

    Thalia Bücher

    DE

    Ranked #3 · 9.0 · Omnichannel book retail

    Why we picked it: It runs omnichannel German-language book retail in the DACH region and reported revenue growth of 4.5%.

    See in ranking ↓Visit thalia.de ↗

  3. Leader in college bookstores

    Follett Corporation

    US

    Ranked #4 · 8.9 · College bookstores

    Why we picked it: It focuses on campus bookstores, operating about 1,000 collegiate retail stores across the United States and Canada.

    See in ranking ↓Visit follett.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the bookstore industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Barnes & Noble

General book retail · US

9.6
2

Hugendubel

General book retail · DE

9.1
3

Thalia Bücher

Omnichannel book retail · DE

9.0
4

Follett Corporation

College bookstores · US

8.9
5

Dymocks

Franchised bookstores · AU

8.9
6

Barnes & Noble Education

College bookstores and campus retail, North America · US

8.9
7

Waterstones

General book retail, UK and Europe · GB

8.9
8

Books-A-Million

General book retail, United States · US

8.7
9

Half Price Books

Used and new book retail, United States · US

8.5
10

Indigo Books & Music

General book and lifestyle retail, Canada · CA

7.6

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the bookstore industry. In Bookstore Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bookstore-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

Employment in book stores and news dealers (NAICS 4512) (United States)

Employment in book stores and news dealers (NAICS 4512) fell from 67.9 thousands of jobs in 2021 to 60.4 thousands of jobs in 2025.

67.9
Start
-2.88%
CAGR · 4y
60.4
Projected
20212025
source-verifiedfred.stlouisfed.org2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

The 2026 AI survey shows formal policy coverage at 49% overall, rising to 71% above 100 employees. Independents also report a need for best-practice guidance, with 67% citing helpful AI policy development.

AI in the bookstore industry

  • 5% of organizational respondents in the North American book-industry AI survey worked for independent booksellers in 2026.[1]
  • 49% of organizations represented in the North American book-industry survey had an official AI policy or guidelines in 2026.[1]
  • 71% of organizations with more than 100 employees in the North American book industry had an official AI policy in 2026.[1]
  • 25% of North American book-industry professionals reported using generative AI for tasks such as marketing copy, book covers, editorial feedback, images or audio in 2026.[1]
  • 67% of independent booksellers said AI policy development would be a helpful area for best-practice guidance in 2026.[1]
  • 20 respondents in the 2026 North American book-industry AI survey worked for independent booksellers.[1]

Automation in the bookstore industry

  • 48% of organizations in the North American book industry reported changing AI policies in areas outside editorial work, manuscript evaluation, contracts, rights and royalties in 2026.[1]
  • 54% of organizations that changed AI-related policies in the North American book industry covered editorial work, a process that can be automated or assisted, in 2026.[1]
  • 23% of organizations that changed AI-related policies in the North American book industry covered contracts, rights and royalties in 2026.[1]
  • 27% of organizations that changed AI-related policies in the North American book industry covered manuscript evaluation in 2026.[1]

Digital Transformation in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EU large businesses, 96% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2025.[2]
  • Across retail and consumer-goods companies, 70% of business functions had generative AI adopted or piloted in 2025.[3]
  • Among EU small and medium-sized enterprises, 71% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2025.[2]
  • Across EU businesses, 74% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2024.[2]

Technology Adoption in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across US and European retailers, 16% had fully scaled artificial intelligence in 2025.[4]
  • Across US and European retailers, 66% had moved beyond exploration and testing of store-intelligence technologies in 2025.[4]
  • Across US and European retailers, 21% had fully scaled edge computing technologies in 2025.[4]
  • Across US and European retailers, 23% had fully scaled wireless communication technologies such as RFID or Bluetooth in 2025.[4]
  • Across US and European retailers, 27% had fully scaled cameras and sensors in 2025.[4]

Cloud Computing in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU enterprises, 52.74% used paid cloud-computing services in 2025.[2]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 45.52% hosted enterprise databases in the cloud in 2025.[2]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 85.15% used cloud-based email in 2025.[2]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 71.53% used cloud-based file storage in 2025.[2]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 71.69% used cloud-based office software in 2025.[2]

Big Data in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail companies, 23% were using artificial intelligence in production to resolve customer identities or prepare customer data for marketing or analytics in 2025.[5]
  • Across EU enterprises, 33.02% performed data analytics using their own employees in 2025.[2]
  • Across retail companies, 64% said their customer data was structured and accessible enough to support artificial-intelligence use cases in 2025.[5]
  • Across EU enterprises, 26.20% performed data analytics on transaction records such as sales and payment records in 2025.[2]

IoT in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among retail and consumer organizations, 32.4% identified IoT adoption as a technology strategy driving observability needs in 2024.[6]
  • Among retail enterprises undertaking digital transformation, 32% were using IoT at an advanced level in 2024.[7]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data quality and governance recur as blockers, with 66% citing data-quality controls as a significant challenge in 2024. Identity resolution is only somewhat effective for 66%, and customer-data collection methods rate as not very effective for 29%.

Business intelligence in the bookstore industry

  • 70% of Canadian book buyers saw marketing campaigns or advertisements for book types they were interested in during 2024.[1]
  • 71% of Canadian book buyers visited a bookstore in person during a typical month in 2024.[1]
  • 20% of Canadian book buyers became aware of purchased books in 2024 through other books by the same author or illustrator.[1]
  • 62% of Canadian in-person bookstore visitors visited between one and four times in a typical month in 2024.[1]
  • 79% of Canadian book buyers visited a bookstore online during a typical month in 2024.[1]
  • 19% of Canadian book buyers became aware of purchased books in 2024 through a recommendation or review.[1]

Data analytics in the bookstore industry

  • 19% of Canadian book buyers posted their own online reviews in 2024, a measurable user-generated content rate.[1]
  • 65% of Canadian book consumers used YouTube in 2024, the second-highest social platform measured in the study.[1]
  • 16% of Canadian book buyers said a recommendation or review influenced their purchase decision in 2024.[1]
  • 46% of Canadian book consumers used Instagram in 2024, providing a measurable channel for bookstore marketing analysis.[1]
  • 66% of Canadian book consumers used Facebook in 2024, making it the most popular social platform for bookstore audience analysis.[1]
  • 20% of Canadian book buyers said the book description influenced their purchase decision in 2024.[1]

Data Quality in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail and e-commerce, 66% of respondents identified data-quality controls as a significant challenge in 2024.[8]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 29% of respondents rated their customer-data collection methods not very effective in 2024.[8]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 66% of respondents rated their identity-resolution ability only somewhat effective in 2024.[8]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 62% of respondents rated their data-management practices only somewhat effective in 2024.[8]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 48% of respondents rated their customer-data collection methods only somewhat effective in 2024.[8]

Data Governance in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 66% of respondents said their data-management capabilities were only somewhat unified in 2025.[9]
  • Across retail and CPG companies, 35% of respondents cited inconsistent or incorrect answers to data questions as a governance-related blocker in 2025.[10]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 96% of respondents said breaking down data silos was a significant challenge in 2025.[9]
  • Across retail and CPG companies, 31% of respondents cited the lack of a corporate data strategy and semantic layer as a key challenge in 2025.[10]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 53.5% of respondents said regulatory compliance was not a significant data challenge in 2025.[9]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 57% of respondents identified data governance as a significant challenge in 2024.[8]

KPIs in the bookstore industry

  • $239 was the average annual sales per square foot among independent U.S. bookstores in 2024.[11]
  • 0.9% was the increase in local bookstore sales in Australia during 2024.[12]
  • $34.24 was the average amount spent per bookstore transaction among independent U.S. bookstores in 2024.[11]
  • 2.4% was the decline in copies sold by independent bookstores in Australia during 2024.[12]
  • 21% was the increase in IndieCommerce sales conversion rate in 2023 compared with 2019.[12]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Independent-store openings continue alongside channel rivalry, with 605 independent bookstore businesses opening in the United States in 2025. Sector revenue also shifted, with U.S. trade revenue rising 2.7% to $21.7 billion in 2025.

Growth in the bookstore industry

  • Barnes & Noble ended 2025 with 702 outlets after adding nine stores through the Books Inc. acquisition.[11]
  • The American Booksellers Association reported that most member stores increased sales in 2025.[13]
  • U.S. print-book unit sales rose approximately 1% to 782.7 million in 2024 at outlets reporting to Circana BookScan.[14]
  • Barnes & Noble planned to open more than 50 new U.S. bookstores in 2024.[15]
  • Bookshop.org processed more than 200,000 ebook sales through its app in 2025.[16]
  • Mondadori’s bookstore network increased book-sales revenue by 1.5% in 2025.[17]

Differentiation in the bookstore industry

  • Bookshop.org returned 30% of cover price to supporting independent bookstores under its affiliate model.[18]
  • The Strand Bookstore employs 217 workers, illustrating the scale of a community-oriented independent bookstore in New York.[19]
  • The Strand Bookstore furloughed 188 of its 217 employees when lockdowns began in March 2020.[19]
  • Eight local book clubs paid $2,000 each for bookstore wall recognition and branded merchandise in a U.S. bookstore example.[14]

Mergers and acquisitions in the bookstore industry

  • Thalia Bücher received approval in 2024 to acquire assets of bankrupt German book retailer Weltbild.[20]
  • Barnes & Noble acquired Tattered Cover for $1.83 million in 2024.[12]
  • Waterstones acquired Blackwell’s in February 2022.[18]
  • Barnes & Noble completed the acquisition of Tattered Cover in July 2024.[15]
  • Tattered Cover operated four Colorado locations at the time of Barnes & Noble’s 2024 acquisition.[12]
  • Barnes & Noble agreed to acquire the 10-store Books Inc. chain for $3.25 million in 2025.[11]

Strategic partnerships in the bookstore industry

  • Spotify’s physical-book purchases were fulfilled through Bookshop.org and routed through local bookstores in 2026.[21]
  • Temple University selected Follett as its new bookstore provider in 2024 after transitioning from Barnes & Noble.[22]
  • The American Booksellers Association’s USA Today partnership featured 40 independent bookstores in 2025.[23]
  • Bookshop.org partnered with Draft2Digital in 2026 to enable independent bookstores to earn from self-published ebooks.[16]
  • Hachette Book Group officially launched its Batch for Books partnership for booksellers on July 7, 2026.[24]
  • Southwestern University partnered with Barnes & Noble to operate its campus bookstore beginning in fall 2024.[25]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Work design is changing across retail, with 14.09% of full paid working days worked from home in 2026. Workforce survey results also show inclusion and respect outcomes in UK and Irish bookselling.

Remote Work in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.02% of full paid working days in 2025.[26]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 15.14% of full paid working days in 2022.[26]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.09% of full paid working days in 2026.[26]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.03% of full paid working days in 2023.[26]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 13.46% of full paid working days in 2024.[26]

Hybrid Work in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.K. employers, 74% had hybrid working in place in 2025.[27]
  • Across U.K. employers, 42% had a formal hybrid-working policy in 2025.[27]
  • Across U.K. employers, 23% used informal manager-employee arrangements for hybrid work in 2025.[27]
  • Across retail organizations globally, 42% used mandated office days as their hybrid-work model in 2025.[28]
  • Across retail organizations globally, 55% of employees worked from the office five days per week in 2025.[28]

Upskilling in the bookstore industry

  • 18% of North American book-industry professionals said AI training was relevant to their role and that they actively sought it in 2026.[1]
  • 7% of North American book-industry professionals said AI training was not relevant and did not expect that to change in 2026.[1]
  • 21% of North American book-industry professionals said they had ethical objections to AI training even though it was relevant to or required in their work in 2026.[1]
  • 35% of North American book-industry professionals said ethical objections made AI training irrelevant to their work in 2026.[1]
  • 8% of North American book-industry professionals said AI training was not currently relevant but expected its relevance to change in 2026.[1]

Employee Engagement in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. retail workers, 24% reported one or more symptoms of burnout in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[29]
  • Across U.S. retail workers, 35% rated their personal well-being above average in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[29]
  • Across retail employees, 84% would recommend their company as a great place to work in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset.[29]
  • Across U.S. retail workers, 24% were promoters of their organizations in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[29]
  • Across retail employees, 71% agreed their company contributed to their learning and development in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset.[29]

DEI in the bookstore industry

  • 90% of UK and Irish bookselling-workforce survey respondents said they felt respected at their organization in 2025/26.[30]
  • 91% of UK and Irish bookselling-workforce survey respondents said they felt included at their organization in 2025/26.[30]
  • 9% of UK and Irish bookselling-workforce survey respondents identified as belonging to an ethnic-minority group, excluding White minorities, in 2025/26.[30]
  • 87% of UK and Irish bookselling-workforce survey respondents said they could be their authentic self at work in 2025/26.[30]
  • 23% of UK and Irish bookselling-workforce survey respondents identified as LGB+ in 2025/26.[30]

Change Management in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. employees, 45% said organizational change during the prior year increased their workload in the 2025 Eagle Hill survey.[31]
  • Across organizations surveyed by Gartner, 74% of HR leaders said managers were not equipped to lead change in 2025.[32]
  • Across organizations surveyed by Gartner, 73% of HR leaders said employees were fatigued from change in 2025.[32]
  • Across U.S. CHROs, 30% ranked organization design and change management among their top three HR priorities for 2025.[32]
  • Across U.S. employees, 43% said organizational change during the prior year increased their stress levels in the 2025 Eagle Hill survey.[31]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Store engagement remains measurable, with 49.3% of Barnes & Noble customers staying more than 30 minutes on weekends in the United States in 2026. Loyalty also matters, with 60% of Canadian book borrowers in 2024 participating in rewards or loyalty.

Customer experience in the bookstore industry

  • 49.3% of Barnes & Noble customers stayed in a store for more than 30 minutes on weekends in the United States in 2026.[11]
  • 93% of students gave high ratings to their Barnes & Noble College-operated bookstore experience in the United States in 2024.[33]

Customer retention in the bookstore industry

  • 11% of Canadian book buyers chose one book retailer over another because they had a loyalty card, account or subscription in 2024.[1]
  • 60% of Canadian book borrowers participated in a book-related rewards or loyalty program in 2024.[1]
  • 39% of Canadian new-book purchases were planned purchases in 2024.[1]
  • 14% of Canadian book buyers purchased books in 2024 because they wanted them immediately rather than borrowing them.[1]
  • 61% of Canadian new-book purchases were spontaneous to some degree in 2024, indicating that bookstores had opportunities to generate additional purchases during visits.[1]

Customer acquisition in the bookstore industry

  • 16% of Canadian book buyers said liking a book series was the top reason they decided to purchase it in 2024.[1]
  • 20% of Canadian book buyers said a book’s description was the top reason they decided to purchase it in 2024.[1]
  • 19% of Canadian book buyers became aware of books they purchased in 2024 by browsing or searching online or in person.[1]
  • 20% of Canadian book buyers became aware of books they purchased in 2024 through other books by the same author or illustrator.[1]
  • 19% of Canadian book buyers became aware of books they purchased in 2024 through a recommendation or review.[1]

Customer loyalty in the bookstore industry

  • 58% of Canadian book buyers belonged to a book loyalty program in 2017.[1]
  • 70% of Canadian book buyers who bought new books participated in book-related rewards or loyalty programs in 2024.[1]
  • 4% of Canadian book buyers in 2018 chose a purchase location specifically to support that shop.[1]
  • 13%–17% of Canadian book buyers in 2018 cited loyalty programs, shopping for other items, good service or cheap delivery among the factors influencing store choice.[1]
  • 60% of Canadian book borrowers participated in book-related rewards or loyalty programs in 2024.[1]

Lead generation in the bookstore industry

  • 8% of surveyed Christian retailers hosted online events such as Facebook Live sessions or virtual book clubs in 2024.[34]
  • 9% of surveyed Christian retailers used local direct-mail services such as Valpak, Red Plum or Every Door Direct in 2024.[34]
  • 92% of surveyed Christian retailers used social-media posts on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok as a marketing effort in 2024.[34]
  • 34% of surveyed Christian retailers used radio advertising in 2024.[34]
  • 60% of surveyed Christian retailers used email marketing to customers in 2024.[34]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Discoverability tracks to digital channels, with 64% of engaged readers in 2026 discovering books through email newsletters. Social discovery is also common, with 42% citing social media channels.

Marketing in the bookstore industry

  • 28% of Canadian book buyers chose a purchase location in 2024 because the book had a good price, offer or promotion.[1]
  • 23% of Canadian book buyers said they saw marketing campaigns or advertisements for books they were interested in in 2024.[1]
  • 90% of Canadian new-book buyers looked for sales, promotions or coupons when shopping for books in 2024.[1]
  • 47% of Canadian book buyers said they sometimes saw marketing campaigns or advertisements for books they were interested in in 2024.[1]
  • 23% of Canadian book purchases were discounted or on sale in 2024.[1]

Digital marketing in the bookstore industry

  • 64% of engaged readers surveyed in 2026 discovered books through email newsletters.[35]
  • 42% of surveyed Christian retailers used website promotions and online sales as a marketing effort in 2024.[34]
  • 8% of surveyed Christian retailers hosted online events such as virtual book clubs or Facebook Live sessions in 2024.[34]
  • 42% of engaged readers surveyed in 2026 discovered books through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or influencers.[35]
  • 68% of engaged readers surveyed in 2026 discovered books through Amazon.[35]

Branding in the bookstore industry

  • 9% of Canadian book purchases were made at independent bookstores in the 2018 study period.[1]
  • 4% of Canadian book buyers said in 2018 that they chose their purchase location to support that shop.[1]
  • 16.5% was the increase in visits to bookstores other than Barnes & Noble from 2019 to 2026, according to Placer.ai analysis.[11]
  • 45.6% of Barnes & Noble customers stayed in a store for more than 30 minutes on weekdays in 2026.[11]
  • 33.6% was the increase in Barnes & Noble visits from 2019 to 2026, according to Placer.ai analysis reported by Publishers Weekly.[11]

Social media in the bookstore industry

  • 58% of Canadian book buyers visited book-specific online social networks or communities in 2024.[1]
  • 46% of Canadian book buyers used Instagram in 2024.[1]
  • 42% of engaged readers surveyed in 2026 discovered books through social media, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or influencers.[35]
  • 92% of surveyed Christian retailers used social-media posts on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok in 2024.[34]
  • 66% of Canadian book buyers used Facebook in 2024.[1]

Influencer Marketing in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • 58% of brands integrated retail media networks and creator marketing platforms by amplifying creator-generated content on retail media channels in 2025.[36]
  • 80% of brands investing in creator marketing increased creator budgets in 2026, while 25% raised creator spending by more than 10%.[36]
  • 49% of brands investing in creator marketing reported sales as an impact of creator activity in 2026, compared with 60% citing brand sentiment and 58% citing awareness.[36]
  • 78% of surveyed brands reported growing creator-marketing budgets in 2025, up from 36% reporting budget growth in 2024.[36]
  • 91% of brands investing in creator marketing ran an always-on component in 2026, including 62% with hybrid programs and 29% with fully continuous programs.[36]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Centralized retail operations scale via automated distribution and store integration. Barnes & Noble Education integrated 1,333 stores with centralized distribution and administration systems in fiscal 2025.

Process optimization in the bookstore industry

  • 1,333 stores were integrated with Barnes & Noble Education’s centralized distribution and administration systems in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • 1.14 million students were covered by Barnes & Noble Education’s First Day Complete program for the fall 2025 academic term.[37]
  • 25.3% was the year-over-year increase in Barnes & Noble Education’s First Day program revenue in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • 235,000 unique used textbook titles were held in Barnes & Noble Education’s wholesale inventory in the United States in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • 21 million textbooks annually is the processing capacity of Barnes & Noble Education’s automated distribution facility in the United States in fiscal 2025.[37]

Operational efficiency in the bookstore industry

  • 7.5% was Barnes & Noble Education’s fiscal 2025 increase in gross comparable-store sales in the United States.[37]
  • $27.8 million, or 8.9%, was the reduction in Barnes & Noble Education’s selling and administrative expenses in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • 21.4% was Barnes & Noble Education’s gross margin in fiscal 2026, compared with 21.0% in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • 1,116 physical and virtual bookstores were operated by Barnes & Noble Education in the United States as of May 2, 2026.[37]
  • $1.6 billion was Barnes & Noble Education’s fiscal 2025 revenue, up 2.7% from the prior year.[37]

Supply chain in the bookstore industry

  • $146.9 million was Barnes & Noble Education’s rental income for course materials in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • 1,292 McGraw-Hill rental titles were included in Barnes & Noble Education’s consignment rental programs in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • 998 Pearson rental titles were included in Barnes & Noble Education’s consignment rental programs in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • $150.4 million was Barnes & Noble Education’s rental income for course materials in fiscal 2026.[37]
  • 1,333 stores received centralized distribution and administration through Barnes & Noble Education in fiscal 2025.[37]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among U.S. apparel imports, China’s share fell from 30% in 2019 to 21% in 2023, while other Asian suppliers’ share rose from 30% to 35%.[38]
  • 76% of retail organizations with $150 million–$200 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[39]
  • 72% of retail organizations with $100 million–$150 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[39]
  • 57% of retail organizations with $50 million–$100 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[39]
  • 74% of retailers surveyed sourced internationally, including 71% of small companies and 84% of larger companies, in 2024.[40]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Discounting remains central to bookstore economics, with reported discount ranges of 40% to 50% for independent bookstores in 2025. Waterstones’ operating profit increased from £45.6 million to £49.7 million between 2024 and 2025.

Pricing strategy in the bookstore industry

  • 40% to 50% is the reported discount range most independent bookstores receive on book purchases in a 2025 bookselling industry glossary.[41]
  • 30% to 50% is the typical discount range that traditional bookstores receive from retail book prices, according to a 2014 publishing-industry pricing guide.[42]
  • 21% of European book markets were covered by fixed-price policies in the cited 2024 discussion of book pricing research.[43]

Cost reduction in the bookstore industry

  • $2.6 million was the decrease in Barnes & Noble Education’s depreciation and amortization expense in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • £5.1 million was the increase in Waterstones’ plant and equipment assets during the year ended May 3, 2025.[44]
  • $27.8 million was Barnes & Noble Education’s reduction in selling and administrative expenses in fiscal 2025.[37]
  • £45.6 million was Waterstones’ operating profit before exceptional items in the year ended April 27, 2024.[44]
  • £49.7 million was Waterstones’ operating profit before exceptional items in the year ended May 3, 2025, supported by effective cost control.[44]

Profitability in the bookstore industry

  • $13.4 million was Barnes & Noble Education’s net income for the first nine months of fiscal 2026.[37]
  • £565.6 million was Waterstones’ total sales for the 53-week year ended May 3, 2025.[45]
  • 9% was the increase in Waterstones’ operating profit before exceptional items from £45.6 million to £49.7 million between 2024 and 2025.[45]
  • $42.8 million was Barnes & Noble Education’s net loss for the first nine months of fiscal 2025.[37]
  • £49.7 million was Waterstones’ operating profit before exceptional items for the year ended May 3, 2025.[44]

Financial planning in the bookstore industry

  • 316 stores was Waterstones’ year-end store count after opening seven net new stores in the year ended May 3, 2025.[45]
  • £47.1 million was Waterstones’ plant and equipment asset balance after a £5.1 million increase during the year ended May 3, 2025.[44]
  • $1.48 billion was Barnes & Noble Education’s product-sales revenue for the fiscal year ended May 2, 2026.[37]
  • $150.4 million was Barnes & Noble Education’s course-material rental income in fiscal 2026.[37]
  • £45.6 million was Waterstones’ operating profit before exceptional items for the year ended April 27, 2024.[44]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Store openings and closures remain visible at the independent level, with 95 independent bookstores closed in the United States in 2023 versus approximately 200 openings. In 2024, U.S. bookstore sales fell 5.4% year over year to $1.957 billion in the first quarter.

Product development in the bookstore industry

  • 323 bookstores opened in the United States in 2024, including 60 BIPOC-owned and 21 Black-owned stores.[12]
  • 57 Barnes & Noble stores opened in the United States during 2024.[46]
  • 230 independent bookstore storefronts and 34 pop-ups opened in the United States in 2023.[12]
  • Bookshop.org had approximately 60,000 affiliate members in 2023, with about 9,000 conducting consistent business.[12]
  • Bookshop.org supported approximately 1,890 bookstores selling through its platform in 2023.[12]

Product lifecycle in the bookstore industry

  • Local bookstores in Australia recorded a 0.9% sales increase in 2024.[12]
  • Independent bookstore turnover in Australia declined 0.9% in 2024 while copies sold declined 2.4%.[12]
  • Bookshop.org had returned nearly $28 million to independent bookstore partners by 2023.[12]
  • 95 independent bookstores closed in the United States in 2023, compared with approximately 200 openings.[12]
  • U.S. bookstore sales fell 5.4% year over year to $1.957 billion in the first quarter of 2024.[12]

After-sales in the bookstore industry

  • 27% of Canadian book buyers received books as gifts in 2024, creating a potential gift-receipt and exchange service need.[1]
  • 24% of Canadian book buyers received books for free in 2024, including free downloads.[1]
  • 26% of Canadian book buyers purchased secondhand books in 2024, a channel relevant to resale and customer service operations.[1]
  • 11% of Canadian book buyers purchased books in 2024 for display, collection or archival purposes.[1]
  • 32% of Canadian book buyers borrowed books from public libraries in 2024 instead of purchasing them.[1]

Value proposition in the bookstore industry

  • 57% of Polish consumers preferred buying books online in 2024, the highest online preference among the surveyed markets.[47]
  • 42% of consumers aged 18 to 24 across surveyed markets preferred buying books in physical bookstores in 2024.[47]
  • 17% of Canadian book buyers visited physical bookstores in 2024 to buy a gift.[1]
  • 46% of French consumers preferred buying books from a physical establishment in 2024, the highest share among the surveyed markets.[47]
  • 30% of Canadian book buyers visited physical bookstores in 2024 to browse books as a way to pass time.[1]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability reporting and impact measurement are quantified, including 122 tonnes of CO2e as Bookshop.org Scope 1 emissions in 2024. Jarir Bookstore reported 101,302 employee training hours in 2024.

Sustainability in the bookstore industry

  • 101,302 training hours represented a 42% increase in Jarir Bookstore’s employee training during 2024.[48]
  • Approximately SAR 45 million worth of electronics and non-electronic materials were diverted from landfills by Jarir Bookstore in 2024.[48]
  • 101,302 employee training hours were provided by Jarir Bookstore in Saudi Arabia in 2024.[48]
  • 6,033 battery units were recycled by Jarir Bookstore in Saudi Arabia in 2024.[48]
  • 97,799 kilograms of plastic were recycled by Jarir Bookstore in Saudi Arabia in 2024.[48]

ESG in the bookstore industry

  • 25% was Bonnier Books’ targeted reduction in total emissions from its 2019 baseline by 2025.[49]
  • 90% is Bonnier Books’ long-term target for reducing total emissions by 2040.[50]
  • 518 titles and 400 audiobooks were published by Jarir Bookstore in 2024.[48]
  • 50% is Bonnier Books’ 2030 target for reducing Scope 3 emissions from its baseline.[50]
  • 32% was Bonnier Books’ reported emissions reduction versus 2019 in 2024.[50]

Ethics in the bookstore industry

  • 100% of Jarir Bookstore’s operations in Saudi Arabia and the Arab region were included in its 2024 sustainability reporting boundary.[48]
  • 4 sustainability reports had been published by Bonnier Books by fiscal year 2024, supporting transparency on ethical and sustainability practices.[49]

CSR in the bookstore industry

  • 87 million customers had been served by Better World Books by 2026.[51]
  • 38 million books had been donated by Better World Books through its literacy-focused business model by 2026.[51]
  • 128,657 carbon offsets had been purchased by Better World Books through its sustainability program by 2026.[51]
  • 117 million books had been sold by Better World Books by 2026.[51]
  • $35 million had been raised by Better World Books for libraries and literacy programs by 2026.[51]

Circular economy in the bookstore industry

  • 10,000 or more books can be reused or recycled annually by one Better World Books drop box, according to the company’s impact page.[52]
  • 482,269,317 books had been saved through Better World Books’ reuse, donation and recycling activities by 2026.[51]
  • More than 54 million books had been reused or recycled through Better World Books’ drop-box program by 2026.[52]
  • 250 million books had been reused or recycled by Better World Books by January 2017.[53]
  • 475 million books had been reused or recycled by Better World Books by 2026.[51]

Carbon footprint in the bookstore industry

  • 20% was Hachette Livre’s reported carbon-footprint reduction over the 12 years preceding its 2020–2021 report.[24]
  • 122 tonnes of CO2e were Bookshop.org’s Scope 1 emissions in 2024.[54]
  • 883 tonnes of CO2e were Bookshop.org’s total location-based greenhouse-gas emissions in 2024.[54]
  • 750 tonnes of CO2e were Bookshop.org’s location-based Scope 3 emissions in 2024.[54]
  • 22,075 kilograms of CO2e per full-time equivalent was Bookshop.org’s 2024 emissions intensity.[54]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Channel mix differs across national markets, with physical bookstore sales in China declining 4.63% year over year in 2025. Platform e-commerce represented 32.37% of China’s overall retail book market in 2025.

Globalization in the bookstore industry

  • Mondadori’s third-party distribution revenue increased approximately 3.0% in 2025 from €46.0 million in 2024.[17]
  • 20 national bookselling markets were covered in the European and International Booksellers Federation’s 2024 international report.[63]
  • 22 international bookselling markets were analyzed in the 2024 report, which found that only six recorded growth.[63]
  • Mondadori’s third-party book-distribution revenue reached €47.4 million in Italy in 2025.[17]
  • The Chinese retail book market recorded RMB110.4 billion in sales in 2025, down 2.24% year over year.[64]

Cultural adaptation in the bookstore industry

  • Barnes & Noble operated more than 630 bookstores across the United States in July 2024.[15]
  • Barnes & Noble retained the Tattered Cover name and branding after acquiring the Denver bookseller in 2024.[12]
  • 605 new independent bookstores opened in the United States in 2025, reflecting locally tailored expansion of the bookselling offer.[13]
  • American Booksellers Association membership reached 3,417 bookstore companies and 3,783 locations in 2025.[13]

Supplier management in the bookstore industry

  • Hachette Book Group began collaborating with Batch for Books in 2025 to simplify bookseller invoice and payment management.[24]
  • Hachette Book Group planned to make Batch for Books available to booksellers on July 7, 2026.[24]

Stakeholder management in the bookstore industry

  • Barnes & Noble’s Tattered Cover acquisition retained a majority of the acquired chain’s 70 employees.[12]
  • 80% of the American Booksellers Association’s resources were dedicated to programming in its 2025 annual report.[23]
  • IndieCommerce sales increased 21.52% in 2025 from 2024 after the American Booksellers Association supported stores’ e-commerce operations.[23]
  • The American Booksellers Association reported 19% membership growth in 2025.[13]

Distribution channels in the bookstore industry

  • Physical bookstores represented 13.65% of China’s overall retail book market in 2025.[64]
  • Content e-commerce sales increased 30.43% in China’s retail book market in 2025.[64]
  • Physical retail accounted for 15.06% of China’s 2025 book market excluding educational and cultural books.[64]
  • Physical bookstore sales in China declined 4.63% year over year in 2025.[64]
  • Platform e-commerce represented 32.37% of China’s overall retail book market in 2025.[64]

Key questions about the Bookstore Industry

What is the U.S. book-store market size in 2024?
U.S. book stores recorded $7.36 billion in sales in 2024. The same dataset also adds $351.8 million from nonemployer businesses.
How fast did trade publishing and digital audio move in 2025?
U.S. trade revenue rose 2.7% to $21.7 billion in 2025. Digital audio increased 5.3% in 2025.
Which companies lead the bookstore industry?
Barnes & Noble leads Gitnux's 2026 bookstore ranking with an Overall score of 9.6, with more than 730 bookstores in the United States. Hugendubel is the runner-up at 9.1, driven by more than 100 German branches.
What technology shifts are most visible for the book-industry in 2026?
In the 2026 North American book-industry AI survey, 49% of organizations had official AI policy or guidelines. Twenty-five percent of professionals reported using generative AI in 2026.
How is the retail bookstore market structured in the U.S.?
The U.S. Census Bureau counted 5,629 employer establishments classified as book stores in 2023. The American Booksellers Association reported 605 new independent brick-and-mortar, pop-up, and mobile stores opening in 2025.
How does channel competition show up in U.S. sales?
Online retail was the largest U.S. publishing-sales channel at $12.3 billion in 2025. Physical retail was $6.7 billion for the same year.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Bookstore Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bookstore-industry-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Bookstore Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/bookstore-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Bookstore Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bookstore-industry-statistics.

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