Wondering how your local shop got here? The history of independent bookshops is one of price rules, superstores and online rivals, then a comeback: decline from the 1990s, growth after 2009.
This guide sits alongside our overview of independent bookshops and traces how the trade changed.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| UK Net Book Agreement came into effect | 1 January 1900 |
| Court ruled the agreement illegal | March 1997 |
| Independent UK bookshops closed since the agreement ended (as of 2009) | 500 |
| US American Booksellers Association store locations, 2009 | 1,651 |
| US American Booksellers Association store locations, 2016 | 2,311 |
| US association core membership, 2016 | 1,775 |
Figures come from Wikipedia’s Net Book Agreement entry and CBS News. Counts change and sources measure differently, so check the source before you rely on them.
Where the independent bookshop began
The Net Book Agreement operated in the UK from 1900 until the 1990s, which gives a rough sense of how long the old model lasted before the shake-up described below.
For most of the last century, a bookshop was simply a small local business run by someone who knew books and knew their customers. There was less need for an “independent” label while chains were a small part of the market. The shop was the main place a community found, ordered and talked about books.
In the UK, the trade was shaped by a shared pricing rule. The Net Book Agreement came into effect on 1 January 1900 and involved retailers selling books at agreed prices.
That meant a small shop and a large one charged the same for a given title. Competition happened through service, stock choice and atmosphere rather than discounts, which suited the small, personal shop well.
How the Net Book Agreement ended
The agreement held for decades, then began to unravel. In September 1995, several major publishers, including HarperCollins and Random House, withdrew, and in September 1996 the Booksellers Association decided to take no part in the case.
The end came in court. In March 1997 the Restrictive Practices Court ruled that the Net Book Agreement was against the public interest and therefore illegal, according to Wikipedia’s summary.
The effects were mixed:
- Book sales volume rose temporarily by about 30% compared with 1995, but retail prices collapsed.
- As of 2009, 500 independent bookshops had closed since the agreement ended.
Cause and effect are not simple. The same source notes that market concentration and a decline of independent bookshops also took place in Germany and France, where fixed book prices remain in place.
Superstores and online sellers
On the other side of the Atlantic, the squeeze came from different directions. CBS News reported in 2016 that independent sellers had been shutting down for decades, largely because of competition from Amazon.com and from the superstore chains Barnes & Noble and Borders.
Superstores offered huge selections and discounts that a neighbourhood shop could not match. Online retail then added convenience and, again, lower prices.
For many readers this period is the one that defines the story of the independent shop: a steady run of closures, and a widely held assumption that the small bookshop was finished.
The comeback after 2009
The prediction of extinction did not hold. An Associations Now data piece reported that, despite predictions to the contrary, Amazon and e-reader technology had not led to the total annihilation of independent, brick-and-mortar bookstores.
American Booksellers Association store locations show the turn clearly, using the figures that association supplied:
- 2009: 1,651 locations
- 2013: 1,971 locations
- 2016: 2,311 locations
CBS News added that core membership rose to 1,775 in 2016, up by more than 300 since 2009. It also noted that while new stores had rarely opened for years, they now did so frequently, including some opened by writers such as Judy Blume and Jeff Kinney.
These numbers cover one national association, so treat them as a trend, not a full census.
Reading the numbers carefully
History told through statistics can mislead, so it helps to know what each figure measures. A store location count is not the same as a membership count, because one member business can run several outlets.
CBS News made this point itself: with many stores opening additional outlets, locations reached 2,311 in 2016, while core membership was 1,775. Both rose, but at different speeds.
Sales told a similar story that year. According to the association’s Teicher, unit sales from some 580 stores reporting numbers were up 5 percent in the first four months of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015.
Three cautions apply when you read any bookshop statistic:
- Check which country the figure covers, since the UK and US stories differ.
- Check whether it counts businesses, outlets or association members.
- Check the date, because an older figure says little about later years.
The figures in this piece are drawn from 2009 to 2016 reporting. They show the shape of the recovery, not the position today.
What changed in how shops survive
The shops that came through were rarely the ones that tried to out-discount anyone. The ones that thrived leaned on what chains and websites find hard to copy: local knowledge, recommendations, events and a place worth visiting.
That is why so many modern shops feel distinct, from a specialist children’s room to a resident animal. If that last idea appeals, read about bookshop cats and the role they play in shop culture.
CBS News also quoted the association’s Teicher on how hard the economics remain: “We’re in a low-margin business, and that upward pressure on wages is a big deal.” Survival is real, but it is not guaranteed.
Lessons from the long view
Looking across more than a century, three themes stand out. Each one explains something about why independent shops look the way they do today.
- Rules shape retail. A shared pricing agreement protected small shops for decades, and its removal changed the competitive ground quickly.
- Scale brings pressure. Superstores and online sellers competed on range and price, which are hard for a single small shop to match.
- Personal service lasts. After years of closures, new shops opened again, many run by people with a clear sense of their local readers.
None of these themes is a prediction. They describe what the reported figures suggest about 2009 to 2016, and conditions have kept moving since.
It is also worth remembering that “independent” describes ownership, not size. A shop can be small and quiet or large and busy, and still answer only to its own owner rather than to a chain head office.
What the history means for readers
Each stage of this story shows the same pattern. When prices and convenience dominate, small shops struggle; when readers value choice and community, they recover.
If you want to know what your own spending does to that balance, our piece on why support independent bookshops looks at the reasons readers give.
Whichever way you shop, knowing this background helps you read the headlines about closures and openings with a clearer eye.
Frequently asked questions
What was the Net Book Agreement?
Show answer
It was a UK price-maintenance arrangement that came into effect on 1 January 1900, under which retailers sold books at agreed prices. A court ruled it illegal in March 1997.
Did Amazon kill independent bookshops?
Show answer
Not entirely. Competition from Amazon.com and the superstore chains was blamed for decades of closures, but American Booksellers Association store locations still grew from 1,651 in 2009 to 2,311 in 2016.
Did the end of fixed prices cause the UK decline?
Show answer
It contributed, but it is not the only explanation. Wikipedia notes that independent shops also declined in Germany and France, where fixed book prices remain.
Are the figures here complete?
Show answer
No. They come from one association’s counts and press reports, so treat them as trends.
