Overview
- Independent bookshops across nine UK and Ireland regions made the shortlist, highlighting a broad geographic spread of contenders.
- Named finalists include Truman Books (Farsley), Wave of Nostalgia (Haworth), House of Books & Friends (Manchester), Simply Books (Stockport), Criminally Good Books (York), Verey Books (Pooley Bridge) and Sam Read Bookseller (Grasmere).
- Gardners sponsors the category and will present a £5,000 prize to the national winner at the May ceremony.
- Judges and organisers praised a record number of submissions, with The Bookseller’s Tom Tivnan citing the strong quality of entries and shops’ inventive community work.
- Industry voices, including Gardners’ Ruth Gardner and the Booksellers Association’s Meryl Halls, lauded indies as community hubs and noted returning past winners such as The Heath Bookshop and Griffin Books.