Arthaud Bookstore

Librairie Arthaud is a historic independent bookstore located in the heart of Grenoble, France. Its main entrance is on Grande Rue, near Place Grenette in the pedestrian and commercial zone of Old Grenoble. A large part of the bookstore occupies the Maison Rabot, a 16th-century building. According to its website, the bookstore has been known by the name Arthaud since the 1920s, though bookselling on the site dates back to the early 19th century. The name is also linked to the Arthaud publishing house, founded in 1882 by bookseller Jules Rey, who owned the premises. In 1930, Benjamin Arthaud, Jules Rey's son-in-law and successor, opened an Arthaud publishing office in Paris. In 1977, Jacques Arthaud sold both the publishing house and the bookstore to Flammarion. The bookstore faced a serious threat of closure in 2013–2014. Acquired by DirectGroup France, then part of Bertelsmann, the Chapitre network, owner of the bookstore, announced a job protection plan due to heavy losses and entered cessation of payments at the end of 2013. Tens of thousands of people mobilized and signed a petition against the closure. Fifty-seven European comic book authors, including Jean-Pierre Gibrat, Hermann, Francis Bergèse, Emmanuel Lepage, Zep, and Jean-François and Maryse Charles, contributed an original album in support of the employees. In April 2014, the Paris commercial court approved Philippe Sylvestre's takeover offer, allowing the bookstore to continue operating with its 42 employees. In October 2020, the bookstore was purchased by two former Amazon executives, Marc Bordier and Emmanuelle Henry. The bookstore is a generalist, offering many items across three levels, with a fourth reserved for an exhibition room. Its main sections are devoted to novels, comic books, stationery, travel books, and school books. There is also a stationery section. In September 2021, building on the bookstore's stock of 80,000 book references, the new managers launched the Lireka platform, offering free delivery of French-language books worldwide. The third and top floor houses the Salle Rabot, dedicated to exhibitions organized by the bookstore, allowing artists to share their work with the Grenoble public. On November 29, 2021, President François Hollande signed his book there.

The site of the Librairie Arthaud has been associated with bookselling since the early 19th century. According to the bookstore's website, it has been known by the name Arthaud since the 1920s. The name is also linked to the Arthaud publishing house, founded in 1882 by bookseller Jules Rey, who owned the premises. In 1930, following success, Benjamin Arthaud, Jules Rey's son-in-law and successor, decided to open an Arthaud publishing office in Paris in the 6th arrondissement, rue de Mézières. In 1977, Jacques Arthaud sold the publishing house and the bookstore to Flammarion. In the 2010s, the bookstore faced severe financial difficulties. Acquired by DirectGroup France, then part of the Bertelsmann group, the Chapitre network, owner of the bookstore, announced a job protection plan due to heavy losses and entered cessation of payments at the end of 2013. The Librairie Arthaud was then threatened with closure as early as the end of the first quarter of 2014. Tens of thousands of people mobilized as soon as these financial difficulties became known and signed a petition opposing the closure of the Grenoble bookstore. During this period, fifty-seven European comic book authors decided to lend their support through an original album to the bookstore's employees. Among these authors were Jean-Pierre Gibrat, Hermann, Francis Bergèse, Emmanuel Lepage, Zep, as well as Jean-François and Maryse Charles. In April 2014, the Paris commercial court approved the takeover offer of Arthaud by Philippe Sylvestre, which allowed the bookstore to continue operating with its 42 employees. In October 2020, the bookstore was purchased by two former Amazon executives, Marc Bordier and Emmanuelle Henry. The bookstore is a generalist, offering many items on three levels (the fourth being reserved for an exhibition room). The main sections are devoted to novels, comic books, stationery, as well as travel books and school books. There is also a stationery section. In September 2021, relying on a stock of 80,000 book references from the bookstore, the new managers launched the Lireka platform, offering free delivery of French-language books worldwide. The third and last floor of the bookstore houses the Salle Rabot, dedicated to exhibitions organized by the bookstore. This space allows various artists to share and present their creative work to the Grenoble public, in literature as well as painting and photography. On November 29, 2021, President François Hollande signed his book there.

• 2021

  Launch of Lireka platform

• 2021

  François Hollande signs his book at Salle Rabot

• 2020

  Acquired by Marc Bordier and Emmanuelle Henry

• 2014

  Philippe Sylvestre's takeover approved by Paris commercial court

• 2013

  Chapitre network enters cessation of payments; bookstore threatened with closure

• 1977

  Jacques Arthaud sells publishing house and bookstore to Flammarion

• 1930

  Benjamin Arthaud opens publishing office in Paris

• 1920

  Bookstore known by the name Arthaud

• 1882

  Arthaud publishing house founded by Jules Rey

Independent generalist bookstore with a bicentennial heritage, offering competitive prices and a wide selection.

• Books

• Comic books

• Stationery

• Travel books

• School books

1. 1Librairie Arthaud à Grenoble - Plus d'1 million de titres - achat livreslibrairie-arthaud.fr
2. 2Arthaud bookstorewikidata.org
3. 3Librairie Arthaudfr.wikipedia.org