Piece Hall shop makes shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year

The Book Corner in the Piece Hall, Halifax has been shortlisted for the Independent Bookshop of the Year at this year’s British Book Awards.

Read: Here is the average cost of a house in every Halifax neighbourhood

The shop joins six others on the regional list for the North of England and a total of 49 across the UK to compete to be named the country’s best indie retailer for books.

The shops will compete to win their region first, before vying for the overall prize, to be given out at the British Book Awards ceremony, at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on May 18.

Tom Tivnan, The Bookseller’s managing editor, said: “ There has been a resurgence in the last few years for the indie books sector with a growing number of stores and an increased market share.

"You can see why people are looking more towards indies by the brilliant shops on our regional shortlists.

"The High Street in general may be struggling but indie bookshops are thriving in this challenging environment because of the expertise of staff — which can beat an Amazon algorithm any day — but also that they are true hubs of their communities.”

Read: New venture opens its doors in Elland town centre

The winners of each region will be announced on March 20, with those nine shops then battling for the top prize at the Nibbies ceremony on May 18.

Sponsor Gardners Books will once again present the overall winner with a cheque for £5,000 to be put towards the running of the shop.