Hughes & Hughes going under the Eason banner

THE Hughes & Hughes bookshop in Ennis will operate as an Eason franchise from next month.

Two other Hughes & Hughes stores, both in Dublin, will also be moving under the Eason umbrella.
Derek Hughes, founder of Hughes & Hughes, said the move will allow the business to diversify.

“We wanted to broaden our product offer and it made sense to go the Eason franchise route. Our sales are 80% books and Eason have less reliance on that.”

He said that while retailers in various sectors are struggling, bookshops face additional challenges.

“The book trade is going through a transformational period with the whole digital offer. This is a way for us to offer a broader product range. We’ll have a very extensive range of stationery, we’ll have an enhanced gift offer and an enhanced tourist souvenir offer.”

While digital sales make up around 15% of all book sales now, he expects this to rise in the years to come and he feels bookshops need to offer more products nowadays.

“I think it has to be combined with other things, yes. The combined offer is really what the consumer is saying it wants.”

The coffee shop behind the existing bookshop will continue to operate and he says the move will not have a negative impact on workers.

“The staff are unaffected, it’s the same company who’ll be operating the store, it’ll be just a different brand over the door. We’ll be looking at plans next week and we’d hope by the end of May to have completed the refurbishment.”

Mr Hughes believes there will always be a market for the physical book.

“I think there will always be a requirement for the printed book. I have an E-reader but I’d still prefer a printed book to read. Books are things that can be passed on to friends and colleagues and they make up a part of your life story.”

Eason managing director Conor Whelan said its franchises enjoy a number of advantages.

“The Eason Franchise Model provides businesses with instant access to a strong, established retail brand with the support of major marketing and promotional campaigns to drive footfall in-store. Franchisees benefit from training and better buying power to establish their business as a strong, credible operator. We are pleased to be able to add a significant number of new franchises this year including the three former Hughes & Hughes stores.”

Another Eason franchise is also set to open in Shannon in the coming weeks.

Eason has been operating in Ireland for over 125 years and it employs around 1,000 people. Its annual turnover exceeds €250 million.