Indie bookshop numbers hit 10-year high in 2022 defying brutal UK retail year

The Book Case in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. ‘Bookshops bring social and cultural capital to every town, village, suburb or city centre,’ says the Booksellers Association. Photograph: Ryan Kett/Alamy

The number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland climbed to a 10-year high in 2022, as the book trade defied the odds in an otherwise brutal year for high street retailers.

The lifestyle changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns were a boon for the book trade, as Britons with more time on their hands read more and sought out bookshops when they reopened.