Dubai: The Big Bad Wolf Books is back in Dubai for the fifth time with double the number of books on display compared to last year.
Being held at Sound Stage 2 in Dubai Studio City - has over two million books on display compared to last year. Discounts are massive with up to 75 per cent discounts on offer across all genres, titles and authors.
Prices of books start at just Dh1, going up to Dh135.
Book lovers have been thronging the sale which opened on March 1 to get their hands on their favourite books.
Emirati retired government official Talib Julfar, who is an avid book collector, said, “The Big Bad Wolf Books is a great place to be for the variety of genres and authors on display. I am having a day out here searching for different titles.”
Julfar bought many books, one of which by Lucy Siegle was titled Turning The Tide On Plastic.
“The UAE under the wise leadership is focused on sustainability and reducing plastic consumption. I have bought this book to read and understand how I can make a difference,” he said.
Trinidad expat mother Laura Laugier, mother of Alisander, who has Cri du Chat or 5p deletion syndrome, said she was visiting the Big Bad Wolf Books to buy special books for her son.
“My son has 5p deletion syndrome and is hyperlexic. This means he is fascinated with letters, words and reading. He loves books that talk about the world and space. I have found so many books here and the prices are a bargain. It is a truly amazing place.”
Indian expat Prachi Tibrewal said The Big Bad Wolf Books is a paradise for book lovers.
“There is something for everyone. I also bought the Star Wars Deluxe Book gift sets for my daughter and friends. The cost is just Dh45. The prices are unbelievably low,” she said.
Bonding over books
Father and son duo Senthil Rajukumar and Hirthickshen S Swamy bonded over books at the sale.
“I am so happy to spend some time with my son doing something great. My son loves reading. Rather than spending time in a movie theatre, we are bonding over books here.”
Italian expat Irene Pironi said, “I am so in awe of the massive display.
"I am exploring authors and books. It is a great learning platform for avid book lovers.”
Andrew Yap, Co-Founder of Big Bad Wolf Books, claimed the book sale has seen tremendous success in the UAE. “The UAE has a wide demographic with over 200 nationalities living in the country. When we set up the book sale in the UAE, we know that we are selling to the world, making it different and unique from the rest of our markets.”
He said there has been a consistent 35 per cent increase in the customer database and visitors’ footfall at the Big Bad Wolf Books in just the UAE. “Owing to the huge demand, we opened the sale in Sharjah as well.”
Why books are priced so low
Yap said one of the key focus is to make reading accessible to all. “At first, we took extra stock books from publishers and sold them. But publishers have smartened up since do not necessarily print extra copies of books. This left us talking to publishers and buying directly from them for a very low cost.”
He said despite logistics costs rising post pandemic, the book sale is able to have low-priced books due to the bulk deal of purchases.
What’s new this year
This year the Big Bad Wolf Books is aligned with the National Reading Month in UAE. There is an extensive edition of business and children’s books. A dedicated play area too has been set up for children.
Book lovers volunteer
Filipino expats Chardin Odal Bala Teri and Joana Marry Dungca love books. And they chose to volunteer at the Big Bad Wolf Books just so they can be close to a massive display of books. “We have full-time jobs. But when an opportunity came to volunteer, we put our hands up. We both love reading and there cannot be a better and bigger platform than this,” said Teri, adding, “We also take pleasure in helping other book lovers in making their choice.”
