School books: 75 per cent of bookshops report a fall in profits

The supply of school textbooks is an essential service for independent bookshops in Italy, but the sector is facing severe financial hardship and significant delays in payments from public bodies. This is the warning raised by data from the Ali (Italian Booksellers’ Association) – Format Research Observatory, presented in Rome at Palazzo Altemps. In 2024, over half of independent bookshops (56.6 per cent) will be involved in the distribution of school textbooks, but for three out of four operators (75.2 per cent), the 2023–2024 campaign saw a marked deterioration in the profitability of this service.

The financial stability of bookshops is being undermined by the payment terms for supplies to primary schools, with 37.4 per cent of booksellers forced to wait more than 90 days before receiving payment in full for their invoices. The overall picture is set against a backdrop of significant transformation and uncertainty for the sector, where 83.4 per cent of businesses anticipate changes over the next 3–5 years and 72.1 per cent of owners (with an average age of 53) are concerned about the continuity of their businesses, with 33.2 per cent considering a sale to third parties and 30.7 per cent contemplating closure, compared with just 16.3 per cent planning a generational handover within the family. As regards public support, whilst in 2021 more than seven in ten bookshops (over 70 per cent) reported a positive impact from purchases by libraries, the ‘Carta Docente’ and ‘App18’ schemes, and whilst in 2024 60.0 per cent credited the ‘bookshop decrees’ with preventing the closure of many outlets, concerns remain regarding the effectiveness of the latest measures. In fact, almost two in three accredited bookshops (63.7 per cent) report significantly lower turnover generated by the new ‘Carte Cultura’ schemes compared to the past under the App18 scheme, highlighting a loss of economic momentum for sales in the sector.