BTW News Briefs

Joseph-Beth to Open Its Eighth Store

Joseph-Beth Booksellers recently announced that it would be opening its eighth store in the fall of 2004 in Pittsburgh's new SouthSide Works development. According to a Joseph-Beth press release, the development will include an environment of top retailers, restaurants, and eclectic office space, and is "set amidst the charmingly tailored green spaces … located on the waterfront of the Monongahela River." The new store will be 30,000 square feet, and, in addition to its large book inventory and children's department, will include music and DVDs, and specialty areas devoted to stationery, health and well-being, and travel.

Study Finds Online Sales of Used Books Increased 11.3 Percent

According to a 2003 Book Hunter Press survey, sales of used books online have increased by 11.3 percent since 2001, as reported by the New York Times. However, Book Hunter Press co-owner Susan Siegel told the Times that 80 percent of sales in the 614 million market were made by brick-and-mortar stores, which are selling both in the stores and online. "The stores contribute the bulk of the inventory online, because they're the ones with the huge inventories of books," she noted.

Overall, Book Hunter Press' survey showed that, in terms of used book buying, 54.4 percent of total used book sales in 2003 were made online; 29.5 percent at bookstores; 3.9 percent at book fairs; 3.7 percent through print catalogs; and 2.7 percent by appointment, as reported by the Times. The most popular site for buying used books was Abebooks, which had a 39.2 percent share of online sales in 2003, compared to 17.3 percent for Amazon.com, 12.9 percent for Alibris; 9.0 percent for eBay; and 8.6 percent at Dealer sites, the Times article noted.