Cokesbury closes its stores as book buyers go online

Following a national decline in sales at retail bookstores, the United Methodist Publishing House will shut down all of its 57 Cokesbury stores, including 19 at seminaries, by April.

Cokesbury has served congregations, theological schools and church leaders for more than 200 years, but “a shift toward all things digital” and the convenience of online shopping has led to the closings of such chains as Borders and many independent stores, said Neil Alexander, president and publisher of the Methodist institution based in Nashville, Tennessee.

The new closures will affect about 285 full-time and part-time employees. “Having the stores close and the staff leave is wrenching and deeply disappointing. But as painful as it is, it is also financially and practically necessary,” Alexander told United Methodist News Service after the announcement on November 5.