Exclusive Books is one of South Africa's largest bookselling chains with stores throughout South Africa, as well as one in Botswana and one in Namibia.[1]
As of 1 December 2013, the chain is owned and operated by a private group of investors. It was previously owned by the Times Media Group (TMG), after TMG took control of Avusa.
History
In 1951, Pam Joseph, in partnership with Philip Joseph's mother, Pauline, purchased a small second-hand bookshop in the centre of Johannesburg and renamed it Exclusive Books.
Philip Joseph expanded the business by setting up a further branch in 1954 in Hillbrow, then one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The bookstore offered late night and Sunday trading, contributing to its growth. The Hillbrow store closed in 1993, and within the same year, the Hyde Park store became the group's flagship. It was the largest bookshop of its kind in Southern Africa at the time.
In 1998, it launched the Fanatics loyalty program, which grew to a membership of 170,000 members by 2001. In 1999, Exclusive Books introduced Seattle Coffee Company cafés adjoining eighteen of the book stores.[2]