SIMPLY BOOKS LTD

What SIMPLY BOOKS LTD does

Simply Books Ltd is an independent bookshop headquartered at 228 Moss Lane, Bramhall, Stockport, United Kingdom, operating under a UK private limited company structure. Founded as a community bookshop over 20 years ago and taken over by new co-owners Karen Johns and Ben Johns in early 2024, the company sells books through a physical storefront and an online partnership with bookshop.org, while operating an integrated specialty coffee shop and an evening wine bar. Beyond retail, the business runs over 35 monthly book clubs (adult and children, Year 2 through Sixth Form), more than 100 author and literary events per year (40-person intimate sessions up to 1,000+ theatre shows at venues including HOME Manchester, New Century Hall, and St Michael and All Angels Church), structured 10-week language courses (Spanish, French, Italian, BSL), six-week creative writing workshops, and one-to-one bibliotherapy sessions.

The company has no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on a stack of third-party SaaS integrations including Square for gift cards, Stripe for recurring book-club subscriptions, Luma for event ticketing, Acuity Scheduling for class bookings, Typeform for registrations, and Mailchimp and Meta/Google Ads for marketing. Its core 'product' is a curated, community-driven retail and event experience, where the differentiation comes from specialist bookseller expertise (crime, romance, translated fiction, YA), venue partnerships for scaled events, and recurring membership economics (adult clubs at £15/month, children's clubs at £12/month). A second retail and events location named 'Prologue' in central Stockport is opening under a dedicated Prologue Lead, representing the company's first physical expansion beyond the flagship Bramhall store.

Name

SIMPLY BOOKS LTD

Legal name

Simply Books Ltd

Website

https://simplybooks.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Simply Books Ltd is an award-winning independent bookshop in Bramhall, Stockport, selling books alongside a café, wine bar, book clubs, language and creative writing classes, author events, and bibliotherapy sessions, with a second location (Prologue) opening in central Stockport.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Bookshop

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592)

SIC

Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

General Bookstores (New Books) (CRALAAAA)

Keywords

• Independent bookshop
• Book retail
• Author events
• Language classes
• Book club memberships

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Retail book sales through physical store and online partnership with bookshop.org. Direct ordering via contact for next-day pickup. Commissions through bookshop.org affiliate arrangement.
2. Book Club Memberships: Monthly subscription memberships for adult and children's book clubs. Adult clubs at £15/month include paperback copy, first drink free, hosted discussion, and WhatsApp group access. Children's clubs at £12/month include book copy, drinks and snacks. Skip up to 2 months per year allowed.
3. Language Classes: 10-week language courses (8 weeks for BSL) billed upfront at £64 per course. Includes professional instruction, materials, private learning space, 10% off drinks, 10% off language books, and priority access to future classes.
4. Creative Writing Classes: Six-week creative writing courses hosted in bookshop with small class sizes (max 8 writers). Sunday morning sessions at 10:30-11:30am. Taught by Louise Finnigan.
5. Bibliotherapy Sessions: One-to-one personalised book curation experience. £99 (introductory) / £120 regular. Includes 75-90 minute session with dedicated bibliotherapist, £50 book voucher, unlimited hot/soft drinks, personalised reading list, and £10 gift card for next visit.
6. Author Events: Ticket sales for author events ranging from £8 to £39.99+. Events include author talks, book signings, and literary discussions. Venues include Simply Books, HOME Manchester, St Michael and All Angels Church, and larger venues for major authors.
7. Hospitality (Café and Wine Bar): Specialty coffee shop, wine bar (evenings from 23rd November), and café services integrated with retail bookshop. Claims 'best flat white in Manchester'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Simply Books is an award-winning independent bookshop that sells physical books in-store, online via bookshop.org, and by direct-order pickup, and wraps that core retail offer with subscription book clubs, paid language and creative-writing classes, bibliotherapy sessions, ticketed author events, and a specialty coffee shop with an evening wine bar. The business generates revenue across multiple consumer-facing streams, all anchored by its Bramhall flagship store and supported by a second Stockport location, Prologue.

Product overview

Simply Books operates as a single unified brand offering an integrated bookshop experience rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is the independent bookshop in Bramhall, South Manchester, complemented by: adult and children's book clubs (membership-based monthly subscriptions), literary events (author evenings and signings), language classes (Spanish, French, Italian, German, BSL), creative writing classes, bibliotherapy sessions (personalised book recommendations), café and wine bar services, and gift cards. The company is expanding with a second location named Prologue in central Stockport. Products are interconnected through the physical bookshop as the hub, with events, classes, and clubs designed to drive footfall and community engagement alongside book sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Prologue: Second location of Simply Books opening in central Stockport

Products and services

• Simply Books Core Bookshop An award-winning independent bookshop at 228 Moss Lane, Bramhall, Stockport, retailing physical books in-store and via direct-order pickup, with online sales routed through the bookshop.org partnership. Serves local adult readers, families, and gift buyers in Greater Manchester.
• Adult Book Clubs Monthly subscription book clubs for adult readers at £15/month, including a paperback book, first drink free (wine or coffee), hosted discussion led by a professional bookseller, and exclusive WhatsApp group access. Members can skip up to 2 months per year. Operated across multiple genre-specific clubs.
• Children's Book Clubs Age-specific monthly subscription book clubs for children from Year 2 through Sixth Form at £12/month, hosted by DBS-checked staff and including a paperback book, hot chocolate and biscuits. Members can skip up to 2 months per year. Supports literacy development and social reading for school-age children.
• Literary Events Ticketed author evenings, book signings and literary discussions hosted both in the Bramhall store and at partner venues such as HOME Manchester, St Michael and All Angels Church, Duttons Bramhall and New Century Hall. Featured authors include Gordon Brown, Harlan Coben, Liane Moriarty, Craig Revel Horwood, Robert Peston, Cecelia Ahern, Ian Rankin, Ben Miller, Chris Chibnall and others.
• Language Classes 10-week (8-week for BSL) language courses in Spanish, French, Italian, German and British Sign Language taught by qualified instructors in the bookshop, with maximum 8–10 learners per class. Priced at £64 upfront per course, including materials, 10% off drinks and snacks, 10% off language learning books, and priority access to future classes. Registration via Acuity Scheduling.
• Creative Writing Classes Six-week creative writing courses taught by Louise Finnigan on Sunday mornings (10:30–11:30am) with maximum 8 writers per class, including Introduction to Writing Fiction and additional writing workshops. Registration via Typeform. Targets aspiring adult writers seeking workshop-style skill development.
• Bibliotherapy Sessions One-to-one personalised book recommendation service in which a customer meets a dedicated bibliotherapist for 75–90 minutes to receive a curated reading list. Priced at £99 (introductory) and £120 (regular), including a £50 book voucher, unlimited hot and soft drinks, a personalised reading list and a £10 gift card for the next visit. Voucher expires after 18 months.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available via Square for use against bibliotherapy, author events, classes and general bookshop purchases, positioned as a gift-experience offering for book lovers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.7/5 Google Rating demonstrating customer satisfaction
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and important.

• bookshop.orgcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline retail partnership for book sales. Simply Books curated lists available through bookshop.org with convenient home delivery. Provides online sales channel complementing physical store.
• HOME ManchestermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partnership for larger author events. HOST venue for events including Harlan Coben. Cross-promotional relationship for literary events.
• St Michael and All Angels ChurchmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partnership for author events including Craig Revel Horwood, Robert Peston, Susie Dent, Cecelia Ahern, Ian Rankin, Ben Miller, Chris Chibnall. Community venue hosting literary events.
• Duttons BramhallminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partnership for Sophia Smith Galer event. Local bookshop collaboration.
• New Century HallmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue for Gordon Brown event. Larger capacity venue for major author events.
• LumacoreTechnology or IntegrationTicketing platform for author events. Event listings and ticket sales managed through Luma platform. URL structure shows luma.com/SimplyBooks for events.
• SquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationGift card processing platform. Gift cards sold via Square at app.squareup.com/gift/MLQSQ4YS0TZ38/order.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing for book clubs memberships (monthly subscriptions) and class bookings. Used for recurring membership charges.
• Acuity SchedulingcoreTechnology or IntegrationClass booking and scheduling platform. Language class sessions booked through Acuity Scheduling (owner ID 36579719).
• Schools across StockportimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnerships with schools across Stockport to share the joy of stories. Children's programming and literacy outreach.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Others

• Bookshop.org: Online book retail platform that supports independent bookshops; a current channel partner and ecosystem participant for Simply Books, and the closest direct competitor to its online order/collection service.

Broad incumbents

• Foyles: Long-established London independent bookshop with flagship stores, large events calendar, and café; comparable as an established independent bookshop investing in events and hospitality, but operating at significantly larger scale and broader geography.
• Waterstones: Largest UK high-street book chain with a heavy in-store events programme; broad incumbent competitor with overlapping book retail and author event offerings, though without the café/wine bar or subscription community layer.
• Hatchards: Historic London bookshop (Royal Warrant holder) with strong author events tradition and curated book retail; comparable on curated book positioning and author-event programming, though concentrated in central London.

Regional players

• Gutter Bookshop: Edinburgh independent bookshop with curated book selection and active events calendar; comparable as an events-driven indie bookshop, though operating in a different UK city and without the café/wine bar adjacency.

Emerging players

• Five Leaves Bookshop: Nottingham independent bookshop with strong events programme and community focus; comparable as a community-led indie bookshop running author events and book clubs, though at a single-site scale similar to Simply Books' pre-Prologue footprint.

Direct peers

• Heywood Hill: Mayfair-based independent bookshop known for its personal book recommendation service and curated reading lists; comparable to Simply Books' bibliotherapy and curated book recommendation offering as a premium personalised book curation business.
• Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights: Bath-based independent bookshop famous for personalised book recommendations, book subscriptions, and curated reading services including bibliotherapy-style offerings; highly comparable on the personal-curation and subscription book club axis.
• BookBar: London bookshop combined with a wine bar and regular literary events; the closest UK concept-comparable to Simply Books' bookshop + wine bar + events format, with a similarly curated independent bookshop positioning.
• Daunt Books: Independent UK bookshop chain known for curated travel and literary books and in-store events; comparable to Simply Books as an events-led, curated independent bookshop brand with multiple sites.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/simplybooksmanchester

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 SIMPLY BOOKS LTD