Info for 14 th Jan '07

A recent survey indicated that 25% of independent bookstores may not stock the seventh Harry Potter book due to the fact that they cannot match the bargain prices of their larger competitors. According to one independent bookstore owner, "Independent bookshops are being discriminated against and being offered a lower discount and are being cut out of the market." This makes it impossible for them to compete against companies like Amazon and supermarkets.

Although a release date has yet to be set, a spokesperson for Bloomsbury said "We don't give extra discounts on Harry Potter to anybody. We are the largest independent publisher left in the UK and we will do everything we can to support independent bookshops."

Despite having to take a loss on sales, many other small shops still plan to stock the highly anticipated novel in order to maintain customer loyalty.