Focus
A niche that keeps pages turning
By Du Guodong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-14 07:55
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Amid the fierce competition in the present market dominated by State-owned bookstores and online retailers, some private bookstores are catering to a special readership or resorting to diverse development to keep a foothold.
Lady Book Saloon, the first bookstore targeting women in Beijing, occupies a space of no more than 200 sq m, but the bookstore decorated with white bookshelves and purple curtains, tables and sofas, offers a cozy place for female readers.
Every day, especially after work and on weekends, the place is packed with avid readers keen to peruse the carefully selected books aimed at women.
Founder Xu Chunyu said the success of her bookstore lies in its market orientation and its tailored service. Every member of the bookstore can borrow any book she likes.
"Many of the office ladies at present in Beijing lack a reading room at home. They want a quiet and relaxing place to simply enjoy a book. We are providing such a service," Xu said.
Lady Book Saloon was founded three years ago and this May opened a new branch at Chongwenmen.
Founded in 1999 merely as a distributor of magazines, Paper Tiger, currently boasts three big cultural and recreational centers in addition to more than 30 book outlets located in the city's shopping malls.
Paper Tiger has introduced beauty salons, art lounges and food courts in the cultural centers in an attempt to satisfy the diverse demands of its customers.
Its flagship store occupies an area of nearly 10,000 sq m.
Since 2004, Paper Tiger has been growing at a rate of 60 percent every year and it now exceeds 100 million yuan in sales and has more 600 employers.
"The commercial success is due to our operating modes. As of today, book sales are still the biggest market share of our chain stores, but we will add more services in the future to meet the growing market," said Hu Zhong, founder of Paper Tiger.
According to Chen Qingguo, manager of Beijing OpenBook, private bookstores have an advantage over State-owned bookstores because of their flexibility and sensitivity to customers' wants.
Chen believes that shopping malls are one of the most important mediums, and a main source of revenue, for the sale of books.
"There are too many similar private bookstores in Beijing which lack an individual character, and it is natural that most of them to fail," said Chen.
"If they do not find a niche, or fail to be innovative in catering to their customers' needs, there is little chance that these private bookstores will succeed," he said.
