Introduction
The Booksellers Association is the trade association representing independent and chain bookshops across the UK and Ireland. In Scotland, our members operate in cities, towns, villages, islands and rural communities. Most are small or medium-sized enterprises with deep local roots and a long-term commitment to their local high streets.
Bookshops are not solely retail outlets. Evidence commissioned by the Booksellers Association shows that bookshops frequently function as anchor institutions on high streets: generating footfall, increasing dwell time, supporting the evening economy, strengthening place identity and providing inclusive community space. This submission responds to the Committee’s questions through a bookshop lens, drawing on both Scotland-specific cultural evidence and wider place-based research.
The submission draws primarily on two recent pieces of research commissioned by the Booksellers Association. Booksellers as Placemakers, produced by the Institute of Place Management, examines the contribution of bookshops to the vitality and viability of high streets across the UK and Ireland. The Cultural Role and Value of Scotland’s Bookshops focuses specifically on Scotland and explores how bookshops function as cultural venues, community spaces and access points to reading and participation. Where relevant, we also draw on UK-wide Booksellers Association research into independent bookshops’ access to finance; while this data is UK-wide, we have no reason to believe the position in Scotland differs materially.
Scotland’s Changing High Streets
From the perspective of booksellers, Scotland’s high streets are not disappearing but changing in function. Long-term shifts towards online retail, accelerated by the pandemic, have reduced the extent to which people need to visit town centres simply to purchase goods. Rising operating costs, changing working patterns and the consolidation of some services have further altered footfall patterns.
The number of Booksellers Association members in Scotland in June 2025 stood at 221, of which 106 were independent bookshops. This compares with 193 bookshops in January 2017 of which 68 were independent bookshops. The 2017 figures represent a low point in the fortunes of Scotland’s bookshops in terms of numbers and followed a period of decline in the first years of the twenty-first century. The marked increase in bookshops across Scotland since 2017 points to the successful strategies used by both independent and chain bookshops alike to serve the needs of their local communities, and shows that there remains a place for retailers on Scotland’s high street if the retailers are responding to the needs of their communities.
What is emerging more broadly is a model in which successful town centres operate as multi-purpose civic spaces rather than purely retail destinations. These places combine retail with culture, services, leisure, education and social activity. Evidence from Booksellers as Placemakers supports this direction of travel: bookshops contribute to all 25 of the high street priority factors identified by placemaking experts, with particularly strong contributions to activity, experience, attractiveness, innovation and anchoring.
This shift has significant implications for the long-term future of Scotland’s high streets. Rather than attempting to recreate historic retail density and purpose, the evidence suggests that town centres which embrace experience-led, culture-supported and community-focused models are more resilient. Bookshops are well aligned with this transition because browsing, discovery, conversation and participation are central to their offer.
A practical Scottish example can be seen in Stewarton, East Ayrshire, where an independent bookshop, the Book Nook, established during the pandemic has become a destination through a regular programme of author events. In 2024 alone, the shop hosted 24 author events involving 32 authors and attracting over 1,600 attendees (excluding children’s events). Visitors frequently travel from outside the immediate area and use other local businesses, helping reposition the town centre as a place to visit rather than pass through.
What People Want From Town Centres
In an online environment where products can be purchased easily without visiting a town centre, people are increasingly drawn to places that offer something distinctive. Previous research consistently shows that people value expertise, atmosphere, sociability and opportunities for shared experience.
Bookshops deliver these qualities in a particularly direct way. Customers often visit not with a single transaction in mind, but to browse, discover, talk, attend events or spend time with others. Booksellers as Placemakers shows that bookshops contribute strongly to experience (97%), activity (95%) and place marketing (98%), reflecting their role in creating reasons to visit town centres and improving perceptions of place. The report shows that bookshops contribute strongly to networks and partnerships with councils (77%) and to local vision and strategy (68%).
Importantly, bookshop visits rarely occur in isolation. Booksellers report that customers attending events or browsing often make linked trips to cafés, hospitality venues and neighbouring independent retailers, increasing dwell time and spend across the high street.
The Cultural Role and Value of Scotland’s Bookshops highlights The Portobello Bookshop as a strong example of a neighbourhood high street anchor. The bookshop hosts frequent author events, children’s activities and community-led programming, many of which are free to attend. These events attract both local residents and visitors from elsewhere in Edinburgh, encouraging linked trips to cafés, food outlets and other independent businesses on Portobello High Street. Interview evidence from the report emphasises the role of the bookshop in sustaining a sense of place identity and in maintaining footfall beyond purely transactional visits.
Rural, Remote and Island High Streets
High streets and town centres in rural, remote and island parts of Scotland differ from those in urban areas in both scale and function. In many such communities, the high street is not one destination among many but the primary social, cultural and economic hub.
The Cultural Role and Value of Scotland’s Bookshops documents numerous examples where bookshops play an outsized role in sustaining these places. The Orcadian Bookshop in Kirkwall supports local festivals, promotes Orkney writing and draws visitors into the town centre, contributing directly to the visitor economy. In Ullapool, the local bookshop curates stock and events that connect landscape, history and contemporary writing, reinforcing the town’s cultural identity. On Islay, The Celtic House sustains access to books and ideas in a context where choice would otherwise be extremely limited.
In the Borders, The Mainstreet Trading Company in St Boswells is cited as an example of a bookshop operating as part of a broader cultural and retail ecosystem. Combining bookselling with café space and events, the business functions as a destination within the town centre, drawing visitors from across the Borders and further afield.
These bookshops also perform important social functions. The report shows that 90% of Scotland’s bookshops run activities and events for their communities, and many respondents describe their shop as a place where people can spend time without pressure to spend money.
The report also highlights the contribution of bookshops to Scotland’s linguistic and cultural diversity. Fifty-seven per cent of Scottish bookshops stock Gaelic language titles, and 85% stock Scots language titles, often in locations where no other cultural outlets are available.
Creating a Sustainable Town Centre Environment and the Nighttime Economy
A recurring theme in the Booksellers Association’s evidence is the importance of activity beyond standard retail hours. Town centres that fall quiet in the evening struggle to support hospitality, discourage footfall and can feel unwelcoming.
Bookshops contribute to the nighttime economy in inclusive and low-impact ways. Across the sector, over 80% of independent bookshops host events outside standard retail hours. Many of these events take place in the evening and attract audiences who may not otherwise visit the town centre at that time.
However, the ability of bookshops to sustain this contribution is closely tied to the cost environment. Benchmarking data referenced in the Scottish cultural report shows that bookselling is a low-margin business. Fixed property costs, including non-domestic rates, therefore have a disproportionate impact. Reform of non-domestic rates would provide stability for bookshops and other cultural anchors, enabling them to continue investing in activity that benefits the wider high street.
In addition to addressing cost pressures, demand-side measures can play an important role in sustaining evening and out-of-hours activity. Several European countries, including France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, offer government-funded culture vouchers for young people (typically 15-18 year olds), providing funds for books, music, cinema and theatre, aimed at boosting culture and supporting local industries.
The introduction of a culture voucher for young people in Scotland, redeemable in bookshops and other cultural venues, would help build audiences for evening events, support participation in the nighttime economy, and encourage younger people to engage with town centres in ways that are inclusive, alcohol-free and culturally enriching. By stimulating demand for cultural activity, such a voucher would complement non-domestic rates reform and help underpin a more resilient and diverse evening economy on Scotland’s high streets.
Responding to Vacancy
Vacant properties remain one of the most visible challenges on Scotland’s high streets. From a bookseller’s perspective, the issue is often not a lack of interest in opening town centre businesses, but a mismatch between property terms, risk allocation and access to finance.
UK-wide Booksellers Association research shows that only 27% of independent bookshops have applied for external finance in the past five years. The average cost of opening a new bookshop was £38,500, significantly below the BA’s estimate of £70,000 as the optimal level of capital required for long-term sustainability.
Only 50% of recently opened bookshops received a business loan, 47.6% were asked for a personal guarantee, and fewer than 15% were offered overdraft facilities. Under-capitalisation can reduce opening hours, limit stock range and undermine long-term viability, weakening the role bookshops can play as anchors in town centre regeneration.
Access to finance is not the only structural factor constraining the ability of independent businesses to open, expand and remain sustainable on high streets. Evidence from the Booksellers Association also highlights the importance of the relationship between commercial landlords and tenants, which can significantly affect business viability.
Over 80% of independent bookshops in the UK rent their premises. For these businesses, a constructive relationship with landlords is critical to long-term sustainability. The Booksellers Association recognises that the majority of landlords act responsibly and work constructively with their tenants. However, evidence from booksellers indicates that a significant minority of cases involve imbalances of power that small businesses struggle to address.
The commercial property market is largely unregulated, and when disputes arise, small businesses often lack the financial resources, legal expertise and time required to pursue resolution through formal legal channels. Fewer than 20% of independent bookshops report having the knowledge and financial capacity to take legal action against a landlord to enforce their rights.
One in five independent bookshops report having been involved in a dispute with a commercial landlord. Of these disputes, over half related to responsibility for repairs and property condition, while more than a quarter arose during negotiations to open a new shop or expand an existing business. Over half of booksellers who experienced a dispute reported that it had a direct impact on the day to day running of their business. Reported consequences included damaged stock as a result of unresolved repairs, intermittent closures, delays to planned openings, and in some cases permanent closure.
Despite the potential severity of these impacts, fewer than 40% of bookshops involved a lawyer in landlord disputes. Where legal advice was sought, many businesses reported being limited to a single free consultation, with further legal support proving prohibitively expensive. Given the low margins typical of bookselling, the cost and uncertainty associated with legal action acts as a strong deterrent to pursuing redress.
In addition, many bookshops operate under fully repairing and insuring leases, placing responsibility for structural repairs and insurance costs on tenants. When combined with upwards-only rent review clauses, this can lead to significant and unpredictable increases in operating costs for businesses that invest in their premises, undermining long-term viability.
While these issues are not unique to bookshops and are likely to affect SMEs and microbusinesses across sectors, the evidence suggests that unequal landlord–tenant relationships represent a material barrier to high street growth and regeneration. The Booksellers Association therefore believes there is a strong case for the introduction of a Commercial Tenants Ombudsman or equivalent alternative dispute resolution mechanism. Such a scheme would provide accessible, affordable support for small businesses facing disputes and unfair lease conditions. Over 97% of independent bookshops indicate they would support the introduction of such a mechanism.
Accessibility and inclusion
Accessible town centres are essential to inclusive growth. While individual bookshops can improve accessibility within their premises, many barriers lie beyond their control.
The Scottish cultural report highlights inclusive practice, including Lighthouse Bookshop in Edinburgh, which provides structured placements for young autistic people and positions itself as a neurodiverse-friendly space. Supporting accessibility through public realm investment and inclusive cultural policy would help ensure high streets are welcoming to all.
Examples of successful regeneration and lessons learned
Across Scotland, bookshops act as focal points for town centre vitality. Urban examples such as Lighthouse Bookshop, The Edinburgh Bookshop and The Portobello Bookshop demonstrate how cultural programming can generate repeat visits and strengthen local identity. Rural examples including The Orcadian Bookshop, Ullapool Bookshop and The Celtic House illustrate the importance of cultural anchors in smaller communities.
The lesson from these examples is that successful regeneration requires more than physical renewal. Cultural programming, partnerships and local leadership are essential components of resilient town centres.
The role of the UK and Scottish Governments
The UK and Scottish Governments can support Scotland’s high streets by aligning town centre, culture and small business policy. Priorities include reform of non-domestic rates, the introduction of a culture voucher for young people redeemable in bookshops and other cultural venues, improved access to appropriate finance for high street start-ups and support for SMEs in disputes with commercial landlords. If action is taken in these areas it will lead to more resilient and thriving town centres across Scotland.
December 2025