E-commerce impact gives birth to "bookstore +" mode. Entity bookstores are almost becoming coffee leisure shops.

After the renovation of Xinhua Bookstore on Quancheng Road, 100 sets of seats have been added. Photo taken by reporter Shi Xueqiong

□ reporter Shi Xueqiong

On August 2, Ruidingdao Life Aesthetics Book Bar, the first crowdfunding 24-hour bookstore in Jinan, opened, with an initial per capita passenger flow of 300; on September 16, the largest book city in the province officially opened, with a trial turnover of more than 1.5 million the week before. At the same time, the first independent bookstore in Jinan, Shinju Book Bar, is planning to open a third branch in Harmony Square. Such a prosperous scene is in sharp contrast to the closure of Yunxiu Bookstore, Sanlian Bookstore and Zhiyuan Bookstore a few years ago.

Industry insiders believe that after labor pains and adjustment, Jinan and even the national physical bookstores are showing signs of warming up.

A number of bookstores have opened recently

Shandong Book City began its trial operation on September 10 and officially opened on the 16th, with a turnover of more than 1.5 million a week. "to be able to generate such sales is relatively high in the new book city, considering that there are only two weekends out of seven days, and the rest are working days, it is indeed beyond our expectations to achieve such sales." Yuan Xue, director of the marketing department of Xinhua Bookstore in Jinan, said that due to time-limited discounts on the evening of the 18th and 19th, another round of blowout is expected.

The reporter learned that the first independent bookstore in Jinan, Pingju Book Bar, is also planning to open a branch in Harmony Square, plus the existing Henglong store and high-tech store, becoming the first independent bookstore with chain stores in Jinan. "the fact that we have opened three stores in less than two years shows that we still have confidence in the book market." Lin Yu, general manager of the Pin Ju Book Bar, said. Earlier, on August 2, Ruidingdao Life Aesthetics Book Bar, the first crowdfunding 24-hour bookstore in Jinan, officially opened on the CCPARK4 floor of No. 1 Qianfoshan Road.

A test data released by the Open-book Retail Market Analysis report at the beginning of this year showed that while online bookstores maintained rapid growth, physical bookstores also showed an overall recovery last year. In 2014, the overall market growth rate of domestic book retail channels reached about 10%, of which physical bookstores recovered growth for the first time after two consecutive years of decline, with annual sales reaching 34.3 billion yuan. A year-on-year increase of 3.26%.

E-commerce hits the "Bookstore +" mode.

Book lovers in Jinan still remember that around 2012, as the cultural scenery of Jinan, the Sanlian distribution store and Zhiyuan bookstore closed one after another, a number of physical bookstores closed, and the whole Jinan book market was in the doldrums.

"whether they are state-owned bookstores or private bookstores, they are also facing the impact of the Internet. The cost pressures of rent, manpower, water and electricity make it impossible for us to compare prices with online bookstores, so we can only compete offline." Yuan Xue said that while being impacted by the Internet, physical bookstores are also adjusting their positioning, diversified operations, and holding online and offline activities, bringing diversified experiences and services to readers, as well as passenger flow and sales growth for bookstores.

Although Xinhua Bookstore has been profitable, but since 2012, with the overall book market environment, sales revenue growth slowed down, the national brand Xinhua Bookstore also began to change course from then on. Antique bookstore reopened, education bookstore upgraded, Dongtu changed into supermarket room form, Xinhua Bookstore was redecorated, and early planning allowed Xinhua Bookstore to achieve "counter-trend growth."

At the same time, "atypical" bookstores such as Pingju Bookstore (two stores), similar bookstores, buildings Bookstore and Gu Liu Bookstore have been opened one after another. the management form of book + coffee + cultural salon + cultural creation products has brought new reading experience to the public.

Physical bookstore sees new life

"the government strongly encourages all people to read, especially the new government advocates learning, which is a good guide for enterprises and the public." Yuan Xue said that in recent years, she has clearly felt the increase in the purchase volume of enterprises and institutions.

"if you sort out the Jinan book market, there are actually a lot of gaps. For example, a group of record enthusiasts in Jinan and lovers of original books in Hong Kong, Taiwan and English have to go northward to buy them. In fact, this piece can be made at home." Said Lu Dongli, deputy general manager of Xinhua Bookstore in Jinan.

On the other hand, under the background of advocating national reading and calling for physical bookstores, and with the support of rent reduction in high-tech zones, the Shinju Book Bar can ensure a balance of income and expenditure. The bookstore adopts the membership system, and different levels of members enjoy different discounts, cultivate readers' stickiness through online and offline activities, and increase income through creative products, coffee meals and so on.