Every Parisian, even those who have adopted the city, knows this landmark: the Gibert bookstore, located on Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement. New or used books, from contemporary literature to science fiction, thrillers, in English or even in Spanish… It’s quite simple: it’s impossible to leave empty-handed, whether you’re a book lover or not.
Yes, but behind the shelves filled with books lies a much more perilous situation. On Monday, April 27, 2026, the Gibert group, France's largest independent bookseller, announced that it would be requesting judicial restructuring. The reason? Significant economic difficulties.
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A financial situation affected by the decline of the book market and rising costs
All in all, Gibert Joseph is a network of 16 stores spread across 12 French cities. However, for several years now, difficulties just keep piling up, leading to the closure of several shops in the Saint-Michel district in 2021. While these issues are linked to the "decline of the new book market — a 2.5% drop in sales in just one year —, they are also explained by "the explosion of fixed costs ."
Moving towards a change in model ?
The group is definitely going to try to play one last card: that of to adjust its offering. Gibert wishes to take a strategic turn towards second-hand books, a booming market that sees 10% growth each year, providing better control over the value chain and margins », the group specified in a statement. Currently, 35% of its revenue comes from second-hand books. This placement in judicial reorganization would allow the group to obtain a debt freeze as well as salary guarantees, in order to operate the transformation of its model in the most protective legal framework for the business ».
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