10 members enjoyed a great breakfast and a fascinating talk by Caroline Summers of The Paperback Shop at The Bull in Fairford. Caroline explained how The Paperback Exchange started which evolved as times changed and shopping moved online. The business became PB Shop, an online bookstore that send thousands of titles to book lovers around the world. The scale of the business and the digital innovation behind it all based in the middle of our business club community area in Fairford staggered everyone who attended.
The impact of the recent budget proposal on employers National Insurance and pensions were discussed as was the changes proposed to Business Property Relief. PB Shop has a very interesting and very tax advantageous structure in that it has become a fully employee-owned company as an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).
Everyone who attended the meeting was most grateful to Caroline for taking the time to talk to the club meeting and wished her and the company well in 2025 which will be the 25th anniversary year for the company since it started.
