Mark Brewer, the American chairman of the St Stephen the Great bookshop chain, has raised the possibility of franchising off the 23-store business, saying he would be “happy to listen to offers”.
Brewer, speaking from the Cambridge store that he was running in the absence of a manager, praised the Winchester, Truro and Leicester branches, which were purchased by their managers last autumn. “It’s a great solution,” he said. “[The shops] are all available. We want to try and grow the chain, and the best way to do that is through independent owners. When somebody owns their own business, it’s human nature that they tend to do it better. We would listen to offers on the stores we own.” Read more.