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From helping retailers discover their next bestseller to making books accessible in places you might not expect, Bookspeed has been connecting great books with great businesses for four decades.

Ahead of Top Drawer A/W26, we caught up with the team behind the UK's leading book wholesaler to talk about their journey, the values that drive them, exciting new launches, and why they're passionate about putting more books into the world. 

What inspired you to start your business/brand?

Annie Rhodes and Kingsley Dawson were already working in the publishing industry selling books to retailers when they founded Bookspeed 40 years ago. When an opportunity emerged to do set up their own business, they spotted a gap in the market for a next-day books wholesale service that made it easier for retailers to sell books.

What are your brand’s values?

A passion for books goes without saying, but Bookspeed’s values go further. Annie and Kingsley had a clear vision back in 1986 to build a workplace based on inclusivity, respect, openness and responsibility. Today, Bookspeed still honours those founding principles. We seek to care for the people we work with, and who work for us, and take our responsibility to minimise our impact on the environment seriously.

What is your biggest motivation?

It’s our mission to put more books out into the world, and it’s this belief in the transformative power and joy that books bring people that makes us proud of what we do. We love that we help any type of retailer sell books, which means that people can access books anywhere – zoos, museums, gift shops. garden centres, farm shops, or theme parks. If we can help a young person find their favourite book after a day out at an aquarium or a small independent boutique find a new bestseller that makes us very happy!

Where did the inspiration for your product(s) come from?

We take an extensive range to Top Drawer to allow our customers to see the depth and breadth of themes that a book range can offer. We think about trends or seasons when selecting books, and listen to our customers about what sells. There are so many beautifully designed books available on the market, so we are guilty of judging a book by its cover and are always drawn to a bit of gold foil, sprayed edges or embossing that help add a bit of luxury to a gift book.

Will you be launching any new collections at Top Drawer? If so, can you give us a sneak peek?

Our Top Drawer range will include new and bestselling books across all the familiar autumn/winter themes, such as Christmas, Halloween, food & drink, games and gifting. We’re especially excited to be bringing new products from iconic games brand Big Potato to Top Drawer for the first time.

What is your personal favourite from your new collection?

We love Big Potato’s Herd Mentality games. These have been popular for a while, and the bold cow-print packaging looks fantastic in displays. Chicken vs Hotdog is super fun for festive parties for all ages. Scrawl is brilliant for entertaining teenagers over the Christmas period.

How do you operate your brand sustainably?

We take our commitment to achieving Net Zero really seriously as a business, and all our decisions are framed around minimising harm to the environment. Some of the actions we’ve taken include installing solar panelling on our warehouse, using recycled or recyclable materials for packaging, and using LED lightbulbs in our premises for energy efficiency.

Find Bookspeed on Stand G31
Top Drawer A/W26 | 13 to 15 September 2026 | Olympia London