Eason take over Reads – the end of cheap books and highlighters?
I was shocked and disappointed to read in The Irish Times this morning that the main Irish bookseller Eason has bought its rival Reads of Nassau Street.
Generations of students have fond memories of stocking up on cheap stationery at this institution. It’s a great place for refill pads, pens and binders but my favourite purchase has to be buying highlighter pens in 8 colours for 50p a go. 
In recent years, they have disrupted the cosy bookselling trade somewhat by selling current bestsellers at substantial discounts. They even give you 10% off magazines too.
When Eason took over Fred Hanna’s up the road, Reads plastered their windows with posters making direct favourable comparisons with Eason prices. All good news for the consumer! Alas, the rivalry has now come to an end. While the press releases state that this will give Eason a larger share of the discount book market, I’m not so sure that the bargains at Reads will continue. When I think of good value, I’m afraid that Eason are not the first retailer to pop into my head. I can only hope that Reads will not lose any of its charm or cheapness.
November 17th, 2005 at 2:59 pm
Oh no thats dreadful, I have kitted my daughter out in that. Bloody great! Feckin monopolies….
November 17th, 2005 at 3:55 pm
Noooooooooooo. Dammit, is nothing is sacred anymore. Reads of Nassu St was quality for magazines.
November 18th, 2005 at 11:11 pm
Another independent bookshop bites the dust – Read
Via WYSIWYG we see that our favourite bookshop-cum-newsagents in Dublin, Reads of Nassau Street, is to be bought by Easons (which had already bought out, then gutted, the fondly-remembered Hanna’s Bookshop next door some years ago).
November 19th, 2005 at 12:52 am
ahhh well thats the free market for ya. wait till mcdonalds buys supermacs or coke a cola buys lynos tea. now thats scary
November 19th, 2005 at 11:19 am
the more mcdonalds there are the better!!!
i’d be all in favour of them transforming that culchie hangout 
November 20th, 2005 at 7:52 pm
ah sure most people should shop at proper bookstores anyway, with knowledgable and funky staff, not like reads or eason :p
November 21st, 2005 at 1:20 pm
@mish – if you really want to give a plug for your employers, it helps to mention the name of said establishment
.
November 21st, 2005 at 1:26 pm
i would name and shame them for you daithi but mish would kill me! whatever about funky staff, they can’t be a proper bookstore if they don’t have a computers section!!!
November 21st, 2005 at 7:50 pm
we’re too ickle to have a computer section! (altho sadly our shelf of windows/office/word/photoshop books has found it’s way onto the bottom shelf of my current affairs section with our new xmas layout
)
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:36 am
At least it’s reassuring to know that a windows/office/word/photoshop shelf doesn’t qualify as a “computers section”
November 29th, 2006 at 10:05 pm
Well I hope your all satisfied! 12 months of Eason ownership and Read’s bargains continue! I hope all of the begrudgers above acknowledge this!
November 29th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
Well I don’t buy books or stationery enough to know for sure but I agree with you Jim, they still seem to be offering good value. Unfortunately, I have noticed one change. They used to stock an impressive selection of magazines but since the takeover they have drastically reduced the number of titles in a specialist area I’m interested in – crafting