However, it will not happen overnight to break the traditional distribution mode of power and interests in the book industry for more than 60 years. The huge channel resources and network power of Xinhua Bookstore system still bring great pressure to the private book industry, and private chain bookstores frequently fall into financial crisis.
In 2007, Xishu Bookstore, once known as the only representative of private chain bookstores in China that can compete with Xinhua Bookstore, declared bankruptcy, and its more than 600 franchise stores closed down or changed their signboards. Under the internal and external pressure, a few private chain bookstores go upstream and survive in the cracks. Jiangsu Dazhong Bookstore Book Chain Co., Ltd. and Kunming Xinzhi Bookstore Co., Ltd. (referred to as Xinzhi Bookstore) are among them.
On the other hand, at the request of the central government, Xinhua Bookstore system has been listed one after another to promote the reform. At present, there are more than 10 Xinhua Bookstore systems that have been listed or are seeking to be listed. In May 2008, Hainan Phoenix Xinhua Publishing Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Jiangsu Xinhua Publishing Group and Hainan Xinhua Publishing Group, was established in Haikou, which initiated the inter-provincial reorganization of China's publishing industry. Since 2009, such examples have been popping up all over the country. The cross-regional, cross-departmental and cross-industry merger and reorganization of China's book industry has gradually become a trend.
It is worth noting that with the development of online shopping and the change of residents' consumption habits, online bookstores are becoming more and more powerful, and have now carved up 20% of the book sales market in China. On the other hand, the operating costs such as rent, utilities and so on continue to rise, and offline physical bookstores are facing an unprecedented crisis. Since 20 10, a number of well-known bookstores such as Guangzhou Sanlian Bookstore, Ximen Store of Jinan University, Longzhimei Bookstore, Mingjun Bookstore, Scholars Bookstore, Hayes Music Bookstore and Xishu Bookstore have closed down one after another.
Luo Juan, a researcher in the book retail chain industry of Prospective Industry Research Institute, said that some cities have noticed the operating difficulties of physical bookstores and made positive responses. The Beijing Municipal Government is studying and formulating policies to support physical bookstores. Recently, publishing units and relevant experts and scholars attended the policy seminar, which laid a solid foundation for the next policy formulation.
Luo Juan also pointed out that "surviving" physical bookstores need to adapt to market trends. Private bookstores, large and small, scattered in every corner of the city, can neither compete with online bookstores in price nor in scale, but can only segment the market from differentiation and attract some consumers; In addition, the introduction of a variety of business formats, into a leisure and cultural center has become a major trend of book hypermarkets.