New Book Shop to Open in Lausanne

Lausanne English bookworms to get new store!

A new English language bookshop with space for some four thousand titles will open in Lausanne on October 2008. “Books Books Books” aims to rival the Payot bookstore by offering slightly cheaper books. It will also organise regular events such as book clubs, and aims to emulate the cosy ambiance created by some existing shops in the United and States and Britain.Books Books Books will be on the fourth floor of the Globus department store on Rue de Mercerie, with a surface area of just under 100 square metres.
Its books will comprise 3000 fiction titles and 1000 non-fiction and aims the Anglophone expat community in the Lausanne area, Matthew Wake, the shop's founder told Swisster. Wake, a self-confessed book lover, has a background in marketing and decided to open a shop based on his market research in Lausanne. “Most people I surveyed said that the choice is limited here and the books pricey. In this area the market is one of highly-educated people doing professional jobs, so for a bookseller it’s a dream market,” he told Swisster.
“We will have four times more English titles than Payot,” he said. Wake aims to offer his books at lower prices than Payot, helped by the fact that his shop not tied to a single supplier. There will also be offers such ‘three for the price of two’, which could not always be found in Switzerland. The British shop owner is under no illusions that he is hard put to compete qith Internet booksellers such as Amazon.

To emulate large stores such as Barnes & Noble in the United States and Waterstones in Britain, and their very relaxed atmosphere, Wake said people were welcome to buy a coffee at the café next door and come and read their books.

In addition, Books Books Books will organise a series of activities in the shop - “something you never see at Amazon” - such as readers’ groups – for kids and adults – including a cocktail event on most Fridays with a drink offered that that refers to a novel. For example a vodka-Martini could be on offer in reference to a James Bond novel, but please serve it shaken – not stirred. mmmm!