Humanitas bookshop sales rise 50%

French-Romanian book distribution company Librariile Humanitas, (Humanitas Bookshops), which operates the Humanitas bookshop network, estimates business worth 5.6 million euros (20 million RON) for this year, an approximately 14% increase against last year. “Our development plan follows two strategic directions. On the one hand, we intend to modernise the existing bookshops and on the other hand, to open new ones,” explains Nicu Ciurea, general manager of the company. There are currently 14 Humanitas bookshops throughout the country, two of which operate in Bucharest. “Another two will be opened this year,” Ciurea adds, estimating that the value of an investment in a bookshop ranges from 30,000 to 200,000 euros, depending on the location, size and equipment. The Humanitas bookshops posted a turnover worth 4.9 million euros (17.3 million RON) last year, an over 50% increase against the previous year. “Lately there has been an increase in the book market in Romania. In addition to that, books published by Humanitas filled one of the top spots in the sales ranking,” says Ciurea. ZF