The closure of Hughes & Hughes is a genuinely sad moment for book lovers in Ireland, not to mention their over 200 staff. In recent years they have invested heavily in their stock and their shops, making the customer experience very enjoyable.
Unlike most independent booksellers, they carried a massive stock of titles across a wide range of interest areas. In particular, their childrens section was very good and a big hit with a play area full with plastic horses and arches built into book shelves.
In the analysis of the failure of the business in the media today there is mention of high rents, and the move by consumers online as the main reasons for the closure of the chain. The truth behind the collapse is a little more simple. Their books were just far too expensive, with many titles being more than twice the price they are on Amazon. It may be the prices were a direct result of the high running costs, but there is no way they could have survived by continuing to overcharge customers.
Just before Christmas we wanted to buy 60 copies to the wonderful “Tribes” by US marketing Guru Seth Godin to send to customers as a thank you present. I phoned around and the price in Hughes & Hughes was €16 per copy. We ended up getting the books on Amazon.co.uk for just €7.50 per copy. The price was the same on Amazon whether we were was getting one copy or 70.
Do you see now why Hughes & Hughes has gone out of business?
