The Oxfam charity shops are now the largest retailer of second hand books in Europe, selling over 10 million books a year! With many of the 700 Oxfam shops across the UK selling selling books, Oxfam bookshops now have 130 stores that specialise in the sale of just literature and music.
Many of the books that are donated by the public are handed in directly to certain stores, though there are many Oxfam book banks in convenient locations around the country. Due to the huge amount of books received, Oxfam now stock a wide selection of good quality paperback and hardback novels alongside CDs, DVDs and vinyl records.
Staff are even trained to spot potentially valuable books which then go off to be sold through auctions. Some high street retailers have claimed that due to Oxfam’s lower pricing scheme and lower rates, that they have an unfair advantage on the competition.
Oxfam books project manager, Suzy Smith, said –
For some individual shops, a high street business has become unviable. While it is true that our shops get a reduction in rates on the high street, we pay the same as everyone else for rent, electricity, heating, which are bigger costs than rates. Of course, all the money raised goes to help our lifesaving work around the world.
