Book trade in the United Kingdom

The book trade in the United Kingdom has its roots as far back as the 14th century, however the emergence of internet booksellers such as Amazon partnered with the introduction of the e-Book has drastically altered the scope of the industry.

Book retailers such as the Borders have failed to adjust to these changes,[citation needed] thus there has been a steep decline in the number of operating traditional and independent bookshops.

Numerous firms distributing books towards consumers, such as WHSmith, Oxford University Press and HarperCollins have also held considerable influence in the area.

[1]: 9  By the early 15th century the majority of those engaged in these activities were situated in London and belonged to a trade guild called the Company of Stationers.

Looking at the data provided, Richard Mollet, chief executive of The Publishers Association, explains that "those who ever tried to maintain that this was a binary choice have been shown to have been posing the question in the wrong way.