Go Tokyo Your Experience
Have you been shopping in physical bookstores recently? Affected by technological changes in the entertainment industry and e-books, the operation of physical bookstores has generally fallen into difficulties in recent years. Japanese writerImamura ShogoHe was once renowned for his work on the “Naoki Prize” and was deeply concerned about the decreasing number of bookstores in Japan year by year. As a result, he came up with a new model of bookstore management.
This emerging bookstore adopts a model similar to a “grid store”, making profits by renting bookshelves for individuals or publishers to display books. Bookstores no longer need to rely solely on selling books to make a living, this model may bring vitality to bookstores!
In 2023, as many as 614 bookstores will be closed throughout Japan.
According to reports, the number of bookstores in Japan has sharply decreased in recent years.
Tokyo Television’s economic news program “WBS” has also begun to explore the topic of how physical bookstores can sustain their livelihoods in the future.
The program mentions a bookstore that has recently opened in Jimbocho, Tokyo. It is said that this bookstore has an unprecedented business strategy.
This bookstore is called “Honmaru” and officially opened on April 27th.
The owner of the bookstore has obtainedNaoki AppreciationThe client’s Japanese authorImamura Shogo.
He hopes to make this bookstore a pioneer in the revival of the publishing industry and encourage the industry to persevere.
The reporter accompanied Mr. Imamura into the bookstore to explore and see what was special about it.
Actually, these bookshelves are all managed by different tenants, which is a grid bookstore model
Originally, the bookstore did not sell its own books, but earned money by renting shelves for people to display their favorite books.
Due to the different sources of books in each bookshelf, there are significant differences in style between the bookshelves.
Even large bookstores such as Kodansha participate in leasing counters.
The bookstore’s revenue mainly comes from renting out counters, and if books are sold, commission can also be charged according to the terms of the agreement.
Each counter displays a unique personality, which is also a major feature of this bookstore.
The program also interviewed several counter owners to understand why they chose to rent counters. Firstly, a male from a paper company:
We are a company that sells paper
Therefore, we hope to promote paper by placing novels related to paper and books that introduce the creative uses and packaging methods of paper
Next is a woman who has no company burden and relies solely on personal interests to rent cabinets:
I want to recommend my favorite books to more people
So my purpose of renting a cabinet is not to make money, but to let everyone understand this book
Imamura ShogoHe also talked about his original intention of founding this bookstore in the program:
No matter how many excuses are made, the main reason for the closure of a bookstore is only one
It’s just a lack of profit
Therefore, I believe that the business model of traditional bookstores has come to an end and it is time to re-examine it
The reporter asked:So do you think bookstores in the future should be able to make profits without relying on selling books
Answer from Imamura:That’s right
Recently, I have almost only purchased e-books.