The Austrian book market closed the past year 2021 with a sales increase of 4.2 percent compared to 2020 and was even able to surpass the pre-crisis year 2019 by 0.4 percent. The reason for this was primarily online sales, as brick-and-mortar retail sales had to accept declines of 1.8 percent compared to 2020 and 13.2 percent compared to 2019, according to the Association of Austrian Booksellers (HVB).
“This gap between total sales versus store sales makes it clear that bookstores’ online sales, especially during the two lockdowns, supported total sales significantly,” the balance sheet reads. Despite the good numbers for the online area, the stationary book trade is still “the heart of the book market”; almost 60 percent of all purchases were made here in the previous year.
HVB President Benedikt Föger: “The industry was able to respond well to the challenges of the pandemic thanks to its high level of commitment and its ability to adapt quickly and, above all, through the expansion of the online and mail-order business stationary shop or in the booksellers’ online shops. “
Source: Nachrichten
