FOR years Adams Bookstore has supplied the Durban community with affordable books. Now, the store’s legacy, which has spanned more than a century, is nearing its final chapter as its doors close this month.
According to the SA Booksellers Association, Adams Bookstores opened in Durban 1865, expanding their chain to 11 stores spread across the country- with each store sporting its own focus from general books to tertiary education textbooks.
Mohamed Kharwa, president of SA Booksellers Association confirmed that the bookstore will be shutting its doors at chains in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Westville and Johannesburg.
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“The stores are on sale and should they not find a buyer, they will be closing at the end of May,” said Kharwa, “It is a sad day for our city, country and industry when a business, and specifically a bookstore that is over 150 years, old closes.”
Despite the growing availability of virtual content in the current tech age, Kharwa said South Africa isn’t yet an e-book country and even globally books are preferred. He said the store closure, is likely a combination of economic pressures, negative government policy, piracy, a declining reading culture, and serious concerns about tender procurement practices.
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“The industry has been under growing pressure for many years. Adams is not the first to leave the industry and more may follow,” he said.
Kharwa noted that the price of books increases when sales decrease as books costs are based on print runs.
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