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What went wrongLong-established book and stationery sellers in New Market, Dhaka, in a Daily Star Bangla report

From 40-50 book shops down to 10-12 in New Market

New Market once had more than 40-50 book shops and now has 10-12, six of them closing since 2019; the survivors have shifted their shelves to stationery.

Dhaka's New Market once held more than 40-50 book shops; only 10-12 remain, with six closing since 2019. One shop trading since 1963 shut in 2023, and another was started by the present owner's father in 1954. The shopkeepers say reading habits have weakened and that pirated and photocopied editions sell at roughly half the price of genuine books, which the margin cannot absorb. The shops that are still open have turned much of their shelf space over to stationery, because pens and notebooks still sell. The report gives no rent or turnover figures.

Lessons

  1. 1.When a copy of your product sells at half price, neither location nor reputation will hold the margin
  2. 2.The survivors changed what they stock: stationery kept the doors open after books stopped selling

Published with the person's permission, without revealing who they are.

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