Will look you up again soon as its been far too long since I visited your great store in Uxbridge

John

Same goes for all you other Christian retailers wanting to know what we have to offer, give us a twitter or a call either way we’ll be happy to speak to you.

Thanks for this posting
- do you think you could get either an local rep (it used to be Julian I think?) or perhaps you yourself could make contact with me.

I sent an email/letter or two way back last year asking for someone to contact me re:an account, but no one did.
Actaully the same went/goes with Hodder and some of the other bigger publishers out there as well, despite contact being made round about february 08, some have not responded. I could though understand some of this with them being concerned over SSG etc, franchises and double dealing, but still a little contact since would have been good.

But to be honest as I could get the books direct from Bertrams and/or Gardners it was not so pressing an issue that I continued to chase after the non-responses.
Though to be fair having a Marston account anyway has also enabled me to get the odd LionHudson book anyway when neither the above had them in stock.

However given what you say here then I would like to talk to you and support you more directly given your expressed statement that you are going to and do support us directly.
After all publishing and bookshops really should be a more symbiotic relationship given how much we actaully do need each other.

All I have said here by the way stands for any other publisher who is out there and not currently servicing my shop – please do make contact.

Best

Melanie Carroll
Unicorn Tree Books
35-40 Central Market
Lincoln. LN5 7ET
e: unicorntreebooks (at) aol (dot) com
http://www.twitter.com/unicorntreebks
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=93730313648

Lion Hudson have always seen this fair( along with other initiatives) as an important part of our mission to get Christian books into the market whether it be General or Christian bookshops. It might be time for him (and other Christian retailers) to attend again and revise his views on what’s really happening. As had he attended this year including those two years he missed, he would have seen the stand from Lion Hudson positioned in the general bookseller hall consisting of enough space to accomodate 8 tables and he would have observed them being constantly in use for the duration of the show, serving overseas, as well as home market customers.

As for the CRE/CBC fair at Esher this week, correspondingly we won’t be attending in taking a stand, as to pick up on another of his points, we have no desire to compete directly with our retail customers. Like other contributors, the notion of a trade sector element of this combined fair keeping trade and public apart is in my opinion, “pie in the sky” How can I justify taking space and competing with my retail Christian customers who do attend the fair and give time, money and resource in taking stands there and then expect them to support my titles fully, when my team of ASMs come to call on them.

Further to all those retailers who are looking for a publisher to support their shops & not compete with them on a direct basis, come and talk to Lion Hudson either via your local rep or direct to me. We have an excellent partnership scheme with our retail customers that has been in exisistence for over 14 years currently serving some 120 Christian bookshop outlets throughout the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. Our focus and our goal is always to work with our retailers via margin, promotion & stock initiatives to ensure they stay in business as we recognise that we need them to be as successful as possible so as to sell our titles on to their public customers.

Take heart Christian traders you are not alone, we at Lion Hudson see you as partners not competitors !