International Books

What International Books does

International Books is an Irish specialist foreign-language bookseller operating as a trading name of Storey Books Limited Ireland. The business serves individual language learners, language teachers and educators, and educational institutions across more than 100 languages, with self-study, classroom instruction, and Cambridge/IELTS/DELF/DELE exam preparation as its core use cases. It self-describes as Ireland's largest foreign-language bookseller and curates its catalog to the specific curricula of Irish universities (Trinity College, UCD, DCU, TU Dublin) and to the Alliance Française Dublin, Instituto Cervantes Dublín, and Goethe-Institut Dublin programs.

The company runs a hybrid retail model: a single physical store at 24 South Frederick Street, Dublin 2 (a recently relocated address) plus an e-commerce storefront built on WooCommerce and WordPress, with payment processing via Stripe and ancillary use of Google Fonts and Google Maps. The catalog includes more than 7,178 SKUs spanning course textbooks, graded readers, dictionaries, phrasebooks, exam-preparation materials, children's books, parallel texts, and audio/digital bundles (Book + CD, Book + MP3, Book + DVD-Rom, Book + Online Content), organized by CEFR level from A0 to C2. There is no native mobile app, no public API, no documented integrations, and no disclosed AI capabilities. A public notice on the site flags ongoing technical difficulties with the company's phone lines, pointing to recent operational disruption.

Commercially, International Books is a pure direct-to-consumer retailer with one-time per-product retail pricing in EUR, no subscription or licensing terms, and no named enterprise contracts, partnerships, or institutional procurement disclosures. Revenue, headcount, founding year, leadership, ownership percentages, and funding history are all absent from the available data, and the business is currently operating as an active e-commerce and physical retailer under the Storey Books Limited Ireland parent.

Name

International Books

Legal name

Storey Books Limited Ireland

Website

https://internationalbooks.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

International Books is an Irish specialist retailer selling more than 7,000 foreign-language learning products in over 100 languages to language learners, teachers, and educational institutions through a Dublin city-centre store and a WooCommerce e-commerce site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Foreign Language Bookstore

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210), Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592), Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Textbooks & Academic Books Retail (CRALAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Language Learning & Bilingual/ESL Trade (EDAGAIAG), World Languages & Bilingual/ESL (K–12) Materials (EDAGAAAC), Language Proficiency & Admissions Testing Prep (TOEFL/IELTS/DELE/HSK, etc.) (EDAGADAE)

Keywords

• Foreign language books
• Language learning materials
• Graded readers
• Exam preparation books
• Bilingual dictionaries

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Book Sales: Direct retail sales of foreign language books, learning materials, dictionaries, graded readers, course books, and educational resources. Products are sold at fixed retail prices displayed on the website. Revenue is generated through individual transactions at point of sale both online and in-store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

International Books sells foreign language learning materials spanning more than 100 languages, including course textbooks, graded readers, bilingual dictionaries, phrasebooks, exam preparation guides, and audio-visual resources. The offering is delivered through a Dublin city-centre retail store and an e-commerce storefront, with fixed Euro pricing and standard shipping across Ireland and international delivery for non-stock items.

Product overview

International Books operates as an Irish online foreign language bookseller and learning materials retailer, offering a diverse catalog of over 7,000 products. The company's product portfolio centers on language learning resources including course textbooks (such as Inspire for French, Klasse! for German, Nuovo Espresso for Italian), exam preparation materials (Cambridge English, IELTS, DELF, DELE), bilingual dictionaries, graded readers, audio books (Book & CD, Book & MP3 CD), digital learning materials (eBooks, Book & Online Content, Book & DVD-Rom), and teaching resources. The store is built on WooCommerce and manages orders through standard ecommerce functionality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foreign Language Books and Learning Materials Comprehensive catalog of more than 7,178 foreign language learning products including course textbooks, graded readers, bilingual dictionaries, phrasebooks, exam preparation guides, audio books (Book and CD, Book and MP3 CD), e-books, Book and Online Content, and Book and DVD-ROM packs across languages such as French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and many others. Targeted at individual language learners, teachers, and educational institutions in Ireland and internationally.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Book Depository: Amazon-owned online bookseller historically known for free worldwide delivery and deep catalog. Comparable as an online-only foreign language book channel competing for the same e-commerce customers as International Books.
• Blackwell's Bookshop: UK academic and trade book chain with flagship Oxford store and significant online presence. Overlaps on foreign language, textbook, and academic titles but operates as a broad generalist rather than a specialist.
• Waterstones: Largest UK high-street bookstore chain, with growing Irish presence and a comprehensive e-commerce platform. Comparable as a physical + online book retailer with overlapping foreign language and academic categories, but much broader in scope.

Direct peers

• Kenny's Bookshop & Art Galleries: Long-established Irish bookshop in Galway with strong online presence and academic stock. Comparable as an Irish family-owned independent bookstore serving students, educators, and general readers across both physical and e-commerce channels.
• Heffers / G. David Bookshop (Cambridge academic booksellers): Cambridge-based academic bookshop with deep expertise in language teaching stock and university curriculum materials. Comparable as a specialist bookseller serving university language departments, students, and teachers in a single UK academic market.
• Dubray Books: Irish-owned bookstore chain with multiple physical locations across Ireland and a strong online store. Comparable as a domestic Irish book retailer competing for the same consumer and institutional customers; overlaps directly with International Books on foreign language titles and academic stock.
• Hodges Figgis: Historic Dublin bookshop on Dawson Street, also near Trinity College, with a strong academic and general trade selection. Comparable as a Dublin-based physical and online book retailer targeting students, educators, and general readers in the same catchment.
• Libreria Internazionale Borri Books: Rome-based specialist foreign language and international bookseller with physical store and online operations. Closely comparable as a niche retailer focused on language learning materials across many world languages in a single European market.
• The European Bookshop: London-based specialist retailer of foreign language books and learning materials across European and world languages. Closest comparable on specialist foreign language catalog breadth and target audience (language learners, teachers, exam candidates).

Regional players

• Casa del Libro: Spain's largest bookstore chain with physical stores and a robust online platform, specializing in Spanish-language books and language learning materials. Comparable business model and category focus, but operating in a different geographic market (Iberia).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/internashbooks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Books