Academic books retailer Blackwell is venturing into the wholesale arena with the launch of a new division to drive sales of its own-brand products.

The new arm, Blackwell Design, will supply gifts and books to other retailers and marks a further step in the retailer’s turnaround plan.

Blackwell Design director Sue Townsend said: “We believe there’s a gap in the market. This is a great opportunity for us. We’ve had success with our own-brand range, growing sales by double digits on a like-for-like basis in the last three years, so we have confidence in the products.”

Townsend said the formation of the new division comes off the back of a successful trial nine months ago, which involved John Lewis selling suede-bound copies of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The book chain will supply gifts to other retailers under the brand Gifted In, which Townsend said is a “real diversification into an area that’s not our core marketplace”.

Gifts include a creative writing pack, comprising a leather-bound journal, fountain pen, text book and voucher to get a novel printed in stores.

Blackwell will also supply book-related products, including three lines of stationery, book rests and laptop cases.

Blackwell Design is in the process of striking deals with retailers and will launch the division at next month’s Spring Fair, which runs from February 1 to 5 at Birmingham’s NEC. For details see Springfair.com.

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