Time to boycott WH Smith over travel books?

SimonVeness

Here's a subject which may make a few people's blood boil (as it does mine), but WH Smith have just announced an exclusive deal with Penguin books that will ONLY sell Penguin travel guides in their 464 travel stores (airports, motorway service stations and train stations) throughout the UK. This means some of the best travel guides will NOT be available to the general public in future, so many people will be short-changed on getting the right info for their holidays. WH Smith already have a monopoly in all these prime locations (meaning no-one else can sell books there), so many holiday-goers expecting to get a choice of the best available (and thus, help ensure they get the best possible holiday), will be unknowing victims of this anti-consumer measure.

Now, I have to declare an interest in this, as the co-author of best-selling travel books (which are clearly NOT Penguin titles - whose brands include the Rough Guides and information-poor Dorling Kindersley titles), hence we stand to lose some of our sales. But I do feel very strongly that this measure is both anti-competitive and anti-consumer, and I hate to think of many people buying books for their holidays which are, quite frankly, inferior to what is widely available. Under this monopoly, people will not be able to buy Lonely Planet, Frommers, Bradt, Unofficial Guide, Fodor's and other brands, all of which have some great books on different destinations. We are quite fortunate (in some ways) being the market leader for Orlando, hence we have some very loyal readers who always ask for us specifically, but there must be dozens of other books which are just as good which will simply be forced out of business and that, to my mind, is just plain wrong.

So, if you feel as I do, please join me EITHER in boycotting both WH Smiths and Penguin books, OR in going in to your nearest WH Smith travel store to ask them to stock a full range of travel titles. Then perhaps they will come to their senses and allow proper competition again.

Many thanks,

Simon Veness

dmg24

Time to get out more?

I mainly use the library for travel books, then I can get as many as they have for my destination and return the ones I don't like. Cheaper than buying them!

bagand96

Surely is people are planning a trip and what guidance on it they would be looking to get travel guides well before their point of departure (be it an airport, rail station or motorway services)

Retailers are free to sell what they want. WH Smith are not providing a public service, they are a business. Other travel books are still available to the public, from other retailers (and even high street Smiths stores?).

hollydays

I don't know why anyone would shop there ,full stop.Expensive and don't sell anything you can't get elswhere with better service.

SimonVeness

Retailers are free to sell what they want. WH Smith are not providing a public service, they are a business. Other travel books are still available to the public, from other retailers (and even high street Smiths stores?).

Sadly, the reality is that many people count on the airport bookstores to provide their holiday reading and info, and don't realise they are victims of a monopoly that denies them any real choice (if everyone bought their books in advance, WH Smith wouldn't bother selling them at airports and other travel stores and it would be a non-issue).

However, the other (bigger) issue at stake, is that WHS are likely to use this as a test run to see if they can get away with doing this on a wider scale in their stores and their stock. And, when they already have a (jealously-guarded) monopoly at places like the airports, I think it's highly likely to be a big negative for those looking for good holiday info in future.

Ultimately, our concern is really only to make people aware of this and make their book-buying choice accordingly.

123oleary

most wh smith airport stores are very small and so cant stock as wide a range, this goes for all catagories - thrillers biographies etc

mrcow

WH Smith are rubbish for books.

So I'm all for a boycott (as I do this anyway as their choice is very limited).

I've not heard of your travel guide before, but as an avid travel guide buyer, I have to say that Amazon and Waterstones (in store or online) are the only real places to be.

Gatwick certainly has a Waterstones not sure about Heathrow.

SimonVeness

I've not heard of your travel guide before, but as an avid travel guide buyer, I have to say that Amazon and Waterstones (in store or online) are the only real places to be.

Hi mrcow! Yes, you're absolutely right about Waterstones and Amazon as great book-buying resources; we do a LOT of our sales through Amazon (we are usually in their Travel Top 10 through the first half of the year :beer: ). I can't post any links (as yet) but you can search under Brit Guide on amazon.co.uk for our titles. I wasn't aware Waterstones had an airport outlet at Gatwick (but then I mainly use the South terminal, where there is only WH Smith), but that's certainly good to hear

Just adding: the Times Online have a story on this today, which makes some good points. Again, I can't post a link, but if you go to timesonline.co.uk and then click on Travel, you should see the article.

KonkyWonky

I don't really see a problem with this, as has been said previously WHS is a business and they can stock what they like.

If you want to buy a non-Penguin travel guide then don't buy from WHS. If you do want to buy a Penguin guide then by all means buy it from WHS.

Its like complaining the bar in the airport only sells Tennents, Budweiser and Carling beer. There are more beers in the world but they can't stock them all.

I bet if the boot was on the other foot and it was your publishers books that WHS chose to stock you wouldn't be writing this thread on the forums.....

nw_man

SimonVeness,

I can see your frustration but do not panic !!

My copy of your most excellent publication was delivered to my door last thursday from Amazon by the nice postman.

And what a damn great read it is too.

I suspect many people buy online these days.

SimonVeness

If you want to buy a non-Penguin travel guide then don't buy from WHS. If you do want to buy a Penguin guide then by all means buy it from WHS.

The problem is only that most people won't realise they are being short-changed for choice on something like this; they will simply see the 3 main Penguin brands and think that's all there is. Happily, forums like this allow us to put the word out and make sure people can make an informed choice. :T

And many thanks, nw_man - that's always good to hear