Notes from Frankfurt, Part 1

The Frankfurt Book Fair attendee returning home with the most extra luggage other than books and manuscripts might well be Oren Teicher, who retires at the month as the CEO of the American Booksellers Association. At the dinner held by the European and International Booksellers Federation, he was honored and given three gifts--co-president Fabian Paagman, owner of Paagman Boekhandels, the Netherlands, explained that it is a custom in his country for gifts "to come in threes." Then at the EIBF conference the next day, he was honored yet again--and given another gift.

Many at the EIBF thanked Teicher for his support of the organization over the years and for doing so much to help strengthen ties among booksellers, bookstores and booksellers associations around the world. Perhaps most important, he was thanked for encouraging international booksellers to attend the ABA's Winter Institute; international attendees spoke of returning home energized and full of new ideas from American booksellers, and it's so popular and unusual that many attend as often as they can. The French booksellers association, Syndicat de la Librairie Française, even has its own version of the Winter Institute--Rencontres Nationales de la Librairie--held every other year in the summer, and cited the ABA's event as an inspiration.

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Kinokuniya's new store in Katy, Tex.

At the book fair, Hiroshi Sogo, director of Books Kinokuniya, described the bookselling company's approach around the world as one of steady, considered expansion. In the U.S., Kinokuniya recently opened a 5,140-sq.-ft. store in Portland, Ore., and a 4,000-sq.-ft. store in Katy, Tex. (the latter joins three other stores in Texas, in the Dallas suburbs of Plano and Carrollton, and one in Austin). Kinokuniya now has 14 bookstores in the U.S., and "business is growing very nicely, including the New York store," Sogo said. It's "possible" that the company will open more stores soon in the U.S., where, Sogo noted, "things happen quickly." The lead time to opening a store can be as short as four months, while in other parts of the world it can take up to four years.

Kinokuniya continues to open bookstores in Japan, where it has 70 outlets, and is opening a 26,900-sq.-ft. store in Abu Dhabi in March 2020 (it already has a store in nearby Dubai). It's also looking for opportunities in Malaysia and Australia, where it has stores in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, respectively.

Summing up Kinokuniya's experience, Sogo said, "Physical bookstores are making a comeback." --John Mutter

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