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'Confident and optimistic'

7 July 2008

'Bookselling is a noble profession and physical bookstores do have a future. Books are the essential cornerstone of civilisation and fundamental to human knowledge. Our stores have a huge role to play in the cultural life of particular areas. Bookshops should reach out to neighbourhoods and be involved with the community - they perform an important social function.People want experiential activity that you cannot get online - most book-lovers do want to interact with other people.'

The book trade is relatively safe. It is well established and stable. There are more books sold than ever before, the market is growing and more people are reading. Its profits and margins are also significantly robust. I think the trade should be confident and optimistic.'

Luke Johnson, Chairman of Borders UK, at the Booksellers' Association conference, in Publishing News