Booksellers expanding on business estate

An international bookseller, based on Westbury’s Woodland Estate, is expanding into additional space due to sales growth over recent years.

Internet retailer A Great Read moved to the Woodland Estate in 2014 and has enjoyed continued success over the past three years. The company now employs 25 full-time members of staff and has expanded the range of products it sells, adding CD audio books to the comprehensive range of titles available.

The business was set up in 2000 by David Wavre and has two shops in the Bristol area, in addition to its online presence.

A deal has now been signed with landlord HPH Commercial Property allowing A Great Read to take on an additional 4,500 sq ft of space, bringing their total footprint within the thriving business estate to 12,500 sq ft.

David Wavre said, “The expansion of the business at the Woodland Estate has been driven by an increase in online sales. There has been an upsurge in the popularity of printed books over recent years and this, coupled with our marketing activities and the decrease in value of the pound, has led to us receiving more and more orders in recent times.

“We were at a stage where we needed extra space to allow for order picking and processing, and so we approached Lindsay Holdoway at HPH Commercial Property to see how they could help.

“We found HPH very helpful in making a couple of structural modifications to the new space, and they handed the unit over in excellent condition, which provided us with a smooth transition as the business continues to grow.”

The light, modern units at the Woodland Estate benefit from excellent bandwidth, allowing A Great Read to efficiently co-ordinate its online presence and sales under the same roof as its order processing.

Lindsay Holdoway, managing director of HPH Commercial Property said, “A Great Read is a real success story. David and the team have steadily expanded the business since they joined us, which has allowed them to employ extra full-time members of staff locally.

“As a company, HPH strives to help tenants wherever possible. David was looking for a seamless transition into additional space and we have been able to facilitate this, allowing A Great Read the space it needs to grow over the coming years.”

To find out more about HPH Commercial Property visit www.hph.co.uk. A Great Read can be found online at www. agreatread.co.uk