{{Short description|British book retailer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Use British English|date=March 2013}} {{Update|reason=Wob, Ziffit and Shopiago have now all rebranded to a single 'World of Books' brand|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox company | name = World of Books | logo = World of Books logo.svg | logo_alt = World of Books logo | logo_caption = | trading_name = {{ubl|Wob (2021–2024)|Ziffit (until 2025)|Shopiago (until 2025)}} | former_name = | type = Private | industry = {{ubl|Online shopping|Bookselling|Reselling}} | hq_location = Goring-by-Sea, UK | area_served = Worldwide | products = {{ubl|Used books|Out of print books|Rare books|Media articles|Textbooks}} | website = {{official website|worldofbooks.com}} }} '''World of Books''' is British online second-hand book retailer. It formerly traded under the names Wob, Ziffit and Shopiago.{{R|bcorporation}} As of 2018 it was the United Kingdom's largest.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hooker |first1=Lucy |title=The booming trade in second-hand books |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46386557 |accessdate=28 December 2018 |publisher=BBC |date=28 December 2018}}</ref> The company buys unsold used books, mostly from British charity shops. The books are resold either to consumers through Wob's website and online, or wholesale to recyclers,<ref name=Telegraph> {{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/uk-trade-investment/6385885/Trade-Month-World-of-Books-business-is-booming-but-it-needs-to-start-making-a-profit.html |title=Trade Month: World of Books' business is booming but it needs to start making a profit |date=20 October 2009 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=Philip|last=Smith}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Margolis|first=Jonathan|date=21 August 2016|title=How unwanted second-hand books became big business|url=https://www.ft.com/content/76f14f5c-648b-11e6-8310-ecf0bddad227|access-date=9 July 2021|website=Financial Times}}</ref> with about 80% of the books going to recycling.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Groom|first=Brian|date=24 September 2018|title='Green' schemes range from books to bikes|url=https://www.ft.com/content/ba4afc6c-a7c3-11e8-a1b6-f368d365bf0e|access-date=9 July 2021|website=Financial Times}}</ref> It was certified as a B Corporation in 2019.<ref name="bcorporation">{{Cite web|title=World of Books Group|url=https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/world-of-books-group/|access-date=6 July 2024|website=B Corporation}}</ref>

==Overview== The company purchases books in bulk, paying by tonnage rather than for individual titles. Using custom-designed software, they evaluate each title for saleability and set selling prices accordingly.<ref name=Telegraph/> The company buys used books through shops and recycling merchants, in addition to purchasing books directly from consumers through its proprietary Ziffit, which has a 'scan and send' app. In 2010 alone, the business recycled 26&nbsp;million books.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.openplus.co.uk/news/online-retailer-world-of-books-sees-hundredfold-increase-in-reve/ |title=World of Books Sees Hundredfold Increase in Revenues |date=14 July 2011 |work=Open Plus |archive-date=24 July 2011 |access-date=22 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724091629/http://www.openplus.co.uk/news/online-retailer-world-of-books-sees-hundredfold-increase-in-reve/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Wob belongs to the World of Books Group, which also includes Ziffit and Shopiago, both re-commerce companies. The group describes itself as a "circular economy, for-profit company".<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Ziffit|url=https://www.ziffit.com/en-gb/about-us|access-date=9 July 2021|website=Ziffit}}</ref>

Wob was founded in 2002 by Simon Downes, Ben Maxfield and Michael Laundon, who had bought their first books at car boot sales and auctioned them on eBay.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.royalmail.com/corporate-public-sector/finding-new-customers/fast-delivery-wins-overseas-customers |title=Fast delivery wins overseas customers |work=Royal Mail |date=2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027005005/http://www2.royalmail.com/corporate-public-sector/finding-new-customers/fast-delivery-wins-overseas-customers |archivedate=27 October 2011 }}</ref>

Annualised turnover in 2009 was £5&nbsp;million, with a projected turnover for that year of £8.5&nbsp;million. The business was receiving 140 tonnes per week (about 300,000 books) at their depot, purchased from charities at £75 per tonne.<ref name=Telegraph/>

In 2009 World of Books won the Worthing Business Award for New Business of the Year.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://www.worthingherald.co.uk/news/local/video_new_business_of_the_year_world_of_books_1_246375 |title=Video: New business of the year – World of Books |date=13 October 2009 |newspaper=Worthing Herald }}</ref>

In December 2012 World of Books was ranked in 22nd place in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://www.fasttrack.co.uk/fasttrack/leagues/dbfastDetails.asp?siteID=1&compID=3586&yr=2012 |title=Rank 22nd: World of Books |date=2 December 2012 |newspaper=The Sunday Times }}</ref> In 2018, it was number 197 in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200.<ref>{{cite news |last=Page |first=Benedicte |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/pottermore-usborne-sunday-times-international-track-200-802461 |title=Pottermore, Usborne in ST International Track 200 list |newspaper=The Bookseller |date=11 June 2018 }}</ref>

In November 2016<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2020-03-27|title=World of Books - Bridges Fund Management|url=https://www.bridgesfundmanagement.com/portfolio/world-of-books/|website=bridgesfundmanagement.com}}</ref> it was sold to a fund by Bridges Fund Management, which bought a majority stake for £13 million. At the time, the company reported collecting more than 25,000 tonnes of books per year from 3,700 charity shops across the UK, out of an estimated 50,000 total tonnes in the market.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2020-03-27|title=Bridges backs World of Books for new chapter of high-impact growth story|url=https://www.bridgesfundmanagement.com/bridges-backs-world-books-new-chapter-high-impact-growth-story/|website=Bridges|date=2016-11-28}}</ref>

In July 2021 Bridges sold a majority stake in World of Books to Livingbridge, a British private equity firm.<ref>{{Cite web|date=5 July 2021|title=Bridges sells World of Books stake|url=https://www.bridgesfundmanagement.com/bridges-sells-world-of-books-stake/|website=Bridges}}</ref> They rebranded from World of Books to Wob in November 2021.

'''WoB Foundation''' is a charity established by the World of Books Group in 2022 to support "causes that support literacy and the circular economy".<ref>{{cite web |title=World Of Books Group Charity |url=https://giveabook.org.uk/world-of-books-group-charity/ |website=Give a Book |access-date=5 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{EW charity|num=1199668|name=WOB Foundation|access-date=5 October 2025}}</ref>

== AuthorShare == In June 2021 World of Books and Bookbarn International introduced AuthorSHARE, a partnership programme which would pay authors royalties on second-hand sales of their books on the World of Books website.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flood |first1=Alison |title=Authors to earn royalties on secondhand books for first time |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jun/01/authors-to-earn-royalties-on-secondhand-books-for-first-time |access-date=7 February 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=31 May 2021}}</ref>

== Royalties == {|class="wikitable sortable" ! Nr. ! Type ! Royalty ! Remarks |- | 01 || New Book || Full Royalty || |- | 02 || 2nd hand Ordinary || Nil || |- | 03 | 2nd hand AuthorShare || partial || limited number of sites |}

== See also == * musicMagpie * Better World Books * AbeBooks * Alibris * Momox * List of online booksellers

==References== {{Reflist}}

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Category:Bookshops of the United Kingdom Category:Companies based in West Sussex Category:Bookstores established in the 20th century Category:Book selling websites Category:B Lab-certified corporations Category:EBay stores