Study Detailing the Significant Contribution of Main Street Retailers to Local Economies Now Available to Independent Booksellers

In our ongoing coverage of the public debate regarding the retail makeup of a proposed government-subsidized development in Austin, Texas, BTW has cited an economic study commissioned by Liveable City and The Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA), local nonprofit groups. The study documents how local merchants contribute significantly more to the local economy than do retail chains.

The study, "Economic Impact Analysis: A Case Study, Local Merchants vs. Chain Retailers," was conducted by the Austin-based economic analysis firm Civic Economics. In a major finding, the economic analysis reported that local retailers return more than three times as much economic value back to the community than do chain retailers.

Thanks to the generous cooperation of Liveable City, AIBA, Civic Economics, Waterloo Records, and BookPeople, the Austin-based independent bookseller, ABA is now able to make the full economic report available. [For full report, click here.]

Commenting on the report, Steve Bercu, owner of BookPeople, told BTW, "Everybody has always gone on about how local business is better for the community than a national retailer, and that's what this report is about." He noted that he believed the report would "give other booksellers around the country quantifiable data to support the value of their local contribution to the community. I doubt that this information would be very different for other booksellers, so their local communities would be able to appreciate their value in a greater way." [For more on the public debate in Austin, click here.]

Booksellers who receive the Book Sense white box mailings will receive a hard copy of the report in an upcoming shipment. In addition, ABA is working on developing a special program at BookExpo America with BookPeople and others involved in the report.

Watch BTW for ongoing coverage of this issue.