Report by Vivienne Menkes in The Bookseller, 21/8/98
The French Foreign Book importers Association (Alile) has appealed to the European Commission about the exclusive distribution arrangements introduced into France last year by Oxford University Press for its ELT titles.
It is the latest twist in a year-long dispute between French booksellers and OUP. In April last year the publisher announced that the Parisian wholesaler and bookseller Societe Internationale de Diffusion et d'Edition (SIDE) would be the sole distributor of its ELT titles.
France's specialist foreign language outlets, together with many large general outlets, responded angrily to the appointment of a competitor - SIDE sells direct to schools, training establishments and chambers of commerce (The Bookseller, 7th March 1997). As a result the booksellers boycotted OUP titles and set up Alile (The Bookseller, 4th April and 9th May 1997).
Following advice from the Office of Fair Trading sought earlier this year, Alile believes that OUP may be in breach of Article 85 of the Treaty of Rome. As a result, Alile president Ralph Doe of The Bookshop in Toulouse has written to the EC calling for an investigation. He claims that OUP's refusal to supply the booksellers directly has led to "a sharp rise in the cost of OUP ELT publications... and a deterioration in service to French customers". He also alleges that OUP has used its "immense financial resources and unique charitable status... to impose its will on independent booksellers in France"
Alile has also appealed to Henry Reece, OUP's new chief executive, asking him to revert to previous distribution arrangements. Mr Doe wrote to Mr Reece: "Unless Oxford... opens the market to free competition and provides reasonable incentives to booksellers to stock and promote OUP titles, we confidently predict that OUP sales will continue their downward spiral in France as other publishers profit from the vacuum created by the absence of OUP titles on display." Despite the appointment of SIDE and the consequent boycott, Mr Doe points out that Alile's 40-odd members have all achieved turnover increases in the past year.
Click for OUP Accounts Index - OUP's 'Charitable status' - Oxford College Accounts - Oxford Cuttings Library - Literary Law Library - Student Law Library - Malcolm v. Oxford I - Malcolm v. Oxford II - website history - SITE INDEX.