EXCLUSIVE: New independent book shop pledges to offer Swindon residents a 'very good read'

Bert's Books is set to open a store in Old Town this April

Author: Matthew HutchinsonPublished 27th Feb 2022

The owner of a new independent book shop in Swindon has vowed to offer all local people a "very good read".

In an exclusive interview with Greatest Hits Radio, Alex Call also revealed his store is likely to open in mid-late April.

Founded in March 2019, Bert's Books has so far flourished as an online retailer, offering products across the globe from Swindon.

The company has amassed strong support during the pandemic, currently having more than 16,000 followers across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Alex, who's Swindon born and raised, six months ago identified a prospective site for a physical shop in Old Town's Godwin Court.

Having now signed the lease, the entrepreneur describes the location as "perfect" for an independent book store. All of his savings have been invested in opening the unit.

Can an independent book store compete with online retailers?

The Publishers Association claims physical book sales in the UK rose by 16% during lockdown, with much of this money spent on discounted books from online retailers.

Whilst acknowledging the convenience provided by online book brands, Alex says independent firms like his better support the publishing industry.

"I think what Amazon are really good at, is providing big, mass-market books to people. If you know what you're looking for, you can get it there and you can probably get it cheaper. It's great.

"When you buy at an independent book shop ... more money is going towards authors, more money is going towards editors.

"If we were all to buy our books at a huge discount, you would find that the amount of books that are out there, the different breadth of books, it would become very small, they would all become quite similar, and they would all be written by the same four or five people," he added.

As well as publications, the Bert's Books site will be selling refreshments to customers. Alex expects to initially hire a barista, followed by a couple of other employees once the store is fully established.

The Swindon resident also intends on utilising the face-to-face experience his book store can offer customers, by offering recommendations where necessary.

"That is the beauty of an independent book shop, in the physical form. You can go in and you know that what you're going to find is a very good read," he added.

Bert's Books plans on opening its shop doors to the public from Spring 2022.

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