Australian Minister Predicts Bookstores Will Disappear in Five Years

Australian small business minister Nick Sherry angered booksellers by predicting that bookstores “will cease to exist” in five years.

Sherry (pictured, via) elaborated in SmartCompany: “Book retailing in particular is feeling the presence of large international organisations in the Australian market through online sales. Bookshops – like many other businesses – will have to adapt to the new digital reality and will no longer be bookshops as we have grown to know them.”

Many Australian booksellers thought his comments revealed a lack of support for this small business sector. They argued that bookstores will survive because readers still enjoy the bookstore environment, print books, and knowledgeable booksellers.

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