The bricks-and-mortar book market has struggled as much in Spain as anywhere on the globe during the Covid-19 crisis, with sales only rebounding in 2021 after vaccines became widely available.

Logista, Spain’s primary book distributor, played its part in the fight against the virus, storing and distributing masks and other PPE,as well as some vaccines. In addition, with the spike in online book orders, the company saw a significant increase in its overall distribution business in 2020 and the first part of 2021.

Logista operates a huge warehouse facility in Cabonillas del Campo, approximately an hour outside of Madrid. With more than 710,000 sq. ft. of warehousing space, the facility handles some 55 million books per year and fulfills 1.8 million orders annually. “We keep 300,000 titles in stock and make more than 850,000 deliveries to 8,000 book distribution points—bookstores, kiosks and other points of sale—annually,” says Arturo Álvaro Benito, head of sales for the company.

Logista offers direct-to-consumer fulfillment for publishing clients including Planeta, Wolters Kluwer, Kalandranka, Lantia, and Panamerica. It also provides distribution support for Baker & Taylor in Spain and throughout Europe, and operates businesses in France, Italy, Poland, and Portugal. “With our network, we offer publishers capillarity, the ability to branch out,” Benito says. “Our focus is on traceability and transparency.” Logista’s largest retail client is Casa del Libro, the top bookstore chain in Spain, which was founded in 1923 and operates 47 bookstores throughout the country.

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