A customer at the new-look Cha Bar of Oxford Bookstore. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Swank signage, cosy clubs to foster talent, Sunday activities plus a seasonal sale to rev up reading, and niche outlets on the retail radar to cluster around the flagship store?

With books pretty much the biz buzz of late, one of Calcutta?s oldest destinations to shop for books, Oxford Bookstore, sitting on Park Street since 1920, is also gearing up to meet the new challenges of the burgeoning tome trade.

?We have imparted a whole new look and feel to the store through new graphics and attractive signage, an expanded Cha Bar and enlarged children?s and vernacular sections. We have also introduced a plethora of interactive platforms in the shape of in-store clubs,? Rajiv Chowdhry, CEO, Apeejay Oxford Bookstores Pvt Ltd, said on Thursday.

The Apeejay Group chain, which has bookstores also in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Goa, is also looking at a number of specialised outlets on home turf Calcutta. These are likely to be smaller formats with a narrow focus, to support the Park Street mother store.

?Oxford houses books in 46 categories, and for ease of browsing, colours and concepts are customised to genres in the overall store design,? stressed Chowdhry.

The book bastion, which has been registering a 15 per cent year-on-year growth, is also connecting with loyalty-programme customers through a clutch of clubs.

Dialogue, the theatre club, Black Pencil, a forum for design, art and architecture enthusiasts, Flash for films and photography ? are all designed to promote young talents and give them a stage to flower. The store helps out with the venue and its database of customers with special interests.

?There?s also the Cha Writers? Club, a potent brew of tea, adda and a passion for the pen, the Booklovers? Club and Oxygen, a rendezvous for IT students and professionals, in tieup with Arena Multimedia,? said the CEO.

In keeping with its catch-phrase ?more than a bookstore?, Oxford has been hosting events from book-reading sessions, music concerts and debates to mounting art shows and workshops.

The store?s immediate focus is on the sale that kicks off on Friday (February 24 to March 19). ?By pressuring publishers and sourcing books from abroad, we manage to offer discount packages of up to 90 per cent to our customers,? Chowdhry said.