At CBL Distribution Ltd, we help publishers reach more readers through smart, reliable distribution. Our team handles the warehousing and delivery, so you can focus on making great books.
A range of services for all needs.
Publishers
-
Partnering with publishers of all sizes.
-
Tailored services to support your business growth.
-
Comprehensive sales and customer service support.
-
Effective warehousing and distribution.
-
Targeted distribution to reach the right markets.
-
Regular reporting and streamlined invoicing.
-
Reliable delivery to retailers in the UK and overseas.
Sales
-
Expert sales representation with trusted distribution.
-
Expanding your market reach locally and internationally.
-
Experienced team with strong buyer connections.
-
Serving major retail and alternative sales channels.
-
Established relationships with academic institutions.
-
Promotion of new and backlist titles across channels.
Fulfilment
-
Fulfilment service built to grow UK and international reach.
-
Led by a senior team, each of which has over 20 years publishing and distribution expertise.
-
Strong, long-term relationships with retail buyers.
-
Supporting frontlist and backlist titles effectively.
-
Maintaining consistent visibility and reliable sales performance across key markets.
IT Integration
-
Automated digital solutions designed to streamline business operations.
-
Comprehensive integration support for websites, EDI, FTP, API, and more.
-
Significantly reduces manual tasks, improving overall workflow efficiency.
-
Solutions specifically designed to simplify, support, and enhance daily operations.
Why CBL is the right choice.
What sets CBL apart from other distributors...
CBL Distribution Ltd offers clients a triple advantage: increased profits, flexibility, and experience. With a track record of boosting publisher profits through increased sales, cost reduction, and heightened awareness, we're a trusted partner for expanding market share.
Our key strength lies in flexibility, tailoring solutions to meet unique client needs, whether in distribution channels, direct fulfilment or specialist non-traditional opportunities. Backed by a team of seasoned industry professionals, with an average of over 20 years of experience each, we provide reliable support in navigating the complexities of book distribution.
Whether you're a publisher looking to expand or a business focused on achieving success through industry expertise, CBL Distribution Ltd is your trusted partner for outstanding results in today's competitive marketplace.
Services to publishers, regardless of size...
-
Automated sales & stock reports: Receive up-to-date sales records via email, EDI, or FTP automatically, along with regular invoicing.
-
24hr dispatch: Most orders dispatched within 24 hours of receipt to ensure maximised sales.
-
Consumer direct fulfilment: Full range of services enabling publishers to have books sent worldwide to both businesses and direct to consumers.
-
Sales support: Dedicated team managing full sales support, including book trade and specialist sales for wholesalers, online retailers, training houses, educational institutions, and more.
-
Warehousing & distribution: Comprehensive and flexible storage solutions, from limited stockholding to over 100 pallets, at our UK distribution centres.
-
Selective book distribution: Targeted distribution of selective ranges to optimise market performance and enhance visibility.
-
European delivery network: Reliable delivery service reaching distributors, wholesalers, and retailers across Europe.
-
Customer service: Fully trained staff ready to assist with enquiries or special requests, including events and author signings.
-
Coordinated publisher relations: Conducting regular meetings between CBL and publishers to discuss projects, explore collaboration, and build trust.
-
Low return rates: Consistently maintaining returns averaging under 5%, thanks to our stringent stock control and efficient management practices.
What other services can we offer?
We provide a highly competitive Customer Direct Fulfilment (CDF) service, designed to streamline and simplify your order processing. Orders can be received 24/7 through a variety of channels including email, FTP, EDI, and Tradacoms. Adding flexibility and integration with your existing systems,
We integrate with your existing E-commerce platform to provide reliable backend order automation. Our system streamlines the flow of orders directly into our fulfilment network, ensuring fast, accurate processing while maintaining alignment with your existing operations.
In addition to supporting virtual sales environments, we are also able to attend selected trade shows on your behalf. Our team can represent your product range with professionalism and enthusiasm, helping to increase visibility and generate new business opportunities in key markets.
Straightforward terms:
-
Simple Pricing Model: We operate a straightforward pricing structure based on a flat percentage discount off the recommended retail price (RRP), with no hidden distribution fees apart from a modest storage charge.
-
Consignment Stock Management: Stock is usually held on a consignment basis, with CBL providing detailed monthly or quarterly sales statements and relevant management information.
-
Transparent Invoicing: Invoices are generated based on net sales achieved each month or quarter.
-
Trade Distributor Registration: CBL must be registered with Nielsen as the official Trade Distributor in the UK for a minimum term of 12 months.
Expert help, every step of the way.
Warehousing & fulfilment.
-
High-volume Dispatch: Dispatching up to 100,000 books per day on behalf of client publishers to multiple addresses.
-
Secure Storage: Our storage facilities are safe, secure, and fully insured.
-
Advanced Technology: Utilising state-of-the-art technologies and regularly updated systems in our storage and distribution centres for smooth integration with customer and freight interfaces.
-
Custom Book Labelling: Providing custom over-labelling services for special events, ensuring accurate branding and tailored presentation.
-
Promotional Inserts: Managing flyer insertions within book shipments, boosting promotional effectiveness and enhancing customer engagement.
Customer services.
-
Exceptional Customer Service: Dedicated team ensuring smooth operations and outstanding client satisfaction through complete support solutions.
-
Logistics Coordination: Efficient coordination with logistics teams to guarantee prompt and accurate book deliveries to distribution centres, retailers, and trade venues.
-
Event Liaison: Proactively working with event organizers to confirm logistics, and swiftly manage special requests or custom requirements.
-
Comprehensive Post-Delivery Support: Including handling customer enquiries, managing returns, and quickly resolving issues to maintain positive customer experiences.
Information technology.
-
Reliable IT Solutions: Responsive team delivering technology solutions designed to streamline sales processes and enhance distribution efficiency.
-
Metadata Management: Efficiently managing detailed metadata submissions (ONIX, P&A feeds) to Nielsen for maximum book visibility and discoverability.
-
Automated Data Feeds: Automating submissions to major retailers online and offline, supporting effective inventory management and increased sales opportunities.
-
Seamless E-commerce Integration: Smooth integration with clients' existing websites, including popular e-commerce platforms or customised systems, to enable secure and effortless online sales.
Growth without the guesswork.
-
Cost efficiency: CBL streamlines your costs by offering one cost for both distribution and sales services.
-
Sales growth: With a committed sales team actively promoting your products daily, CBL ensures an uptick in your sales figures.
-
Business simplification: Entrust CBL to manage your distribution, fulfillment, and sales, providing a unified solution for your business needs.
Our sales team.
Our dedicated in-house sales team consists of highly experienced professionals, each with over 20 years in the industry. We've built strong, long-term relationships with buyers at all major book trade accounts, and we maintain those connections through a personal and responsive approach.
We present all key titles to leading retail, wholesale, and online accounts, both within the traditional book trade and in non-book trade sectors. In addition, we're continually expanding our reach by connecting with a growing number of specialist retailers. This broad and strategic outreach helps ensure our titles receive the visibility and placement they deserve across a wide range of channels.
Key account management.
We have a dedicated team that works closely with our key accounts, allowing us to stay fully in tune with each customer’s unique needs. Regular meetings and ongoing communication ensure we remain aligned with their priorities and can respond quickly and effectively as those needs evolve.
Our team also prioritizes delivery and order processing for key accounts, managing scheduling to ensure everything runs on time and according to plan. We’ve built strong, personal relationships with key buyers at major book trade accounts, which helps us stay responsive and proactive. This personalized approach is at the heart of how we do business.
Trade, specialist and targeted sales.
At CBL, we take a proactive approach to promoting and selling our client publishers’ titles. Our sales efforts span a variety of channels, including retailer business meetings, targeted email outreach, direct sales campaigns, and curated product listings. We work closely with our clients to ensure their titles are positioned effectively and reach the right audiences at the right time.
Beyond traditional retail, we look for unique opportunities where titles can thrive. When we identify books that align with niche or specialist markets, we tap into non-traditional outlets such as exhibitions, museums, national attractions, and more. Thanks to our extensive network, we've successfully placed titles in high-profile locations like The Eden Project, Alzheimer’s Society, the Design Museum, Forbidden Planet, Jo Malone, NHBS, and many others—maximizing visibility and impact.
Several solutions to assist in the online marketing of your product range.
-
Assisted brand management & promotions: We offer hands-on support to help you strengthen your brand and maximise visibility in competitive markets. This includes guidance on positioning, messaging, and running targeted promotional campaigns tailored to your audience. Whether you’re launching a new title or reintroducing backlist titles, we work with you to boost engagement and drive sales across key retail and online channels.
-
Website integration: We can seamlessly integrate your existing website with an automated ordering and stock management system, allowing your business to operate smoothly around the clock. Orders are processed and stock levels updated without the need for manual input, reducing operational overhead and minimising errors. This streamlined setup ensures quicker response times, improved efficiency, and a more consistent customer experience.
Seamless consumer direct fulfilment.
-
Low cost shipping: Access cost-effective shipping solutions to over 200 countries, with tracked options available for most destinations, and low cost per item service and shipping fees.
-
Easy ordering: Streamline your ordering process with options like email, FTP, EDI, and bespoke integrations like Shopify. Get timely order updates via EDI, FTP, or email, tailored to your needs.
-
International pallets: Expand your products reach with pallet shipments organised by ourselves for both domestic and international deliveries.
-
Shipment reports: Stay informed with daily or hourly feeds offering real-time dispatch status and tracking details for your convenience.
-
Faster fulfilment: Experience swift order processing with most orders dispatched within 24 hours, potentially reducing delivery times for overseas businesses compared to existing arrangements.
-
Optional extras: Enhance your orders with additional services like inserts, return processing, and competitive pallet rates. Pricing details are available upon request.
A step further.
-
Website integration: We seamlessly integrate with your existing websites to enable fully automated order processing. This reduces the time, effort, and costs typically associated with manual data entry and order management. By connecting directly with your online store, our system ensures orders are received and processed efficiently, improving accuracy and freeing up internal resources to focus on strategic tasks.
-
Customer services: Our experienced customer service team can handle enquiries received through your integrated website, managing communication on your behalf with professionalism and care. Whether it's responding to order queries, providing product information, or handling special requests, we take on the day-to-day customer interaction so you can focus on growing your business without the distraction of routine support tasks.
Complete book supply for business and retail.
CBL Distribution offers retailers and businesses flexible solutions tailored specifically to their requirements. Our dedicated account managers provide comprehensive sales support, ensuring consistent and personalised service. We can create bespoke product ranges that match your unique needs and assist with efficient core stock management. Additionally, we accommodate a wide variety of ordering methods, including EDI, Tradacoms, FTP, Teleordering, and more. Deliveries are also flexible, with options to ship to a single warehouse, individual store, or multiple locations.
Key accounts.
CBL distribution has a dedicated team dealing with our key accounts so we always maintain a full understanding of its customer's needs.
-
Regular customer meetings.
-
Personal visits and meetings where appropriate.
-
Delivery & order processing prioritisation.
-
Delivery scheduling.
CBL's export team has specialist knowledge in all aspects of exportation of shipments. Specific customs requirements, freight forwarder procedures and documents can all be adjusted to requirement dependent upon customer location.
Ordering methods.
We provide our customers with a variety of ordering methods such as...
-
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
-
Email
-
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
-
Teleordering
-
Tradacoms
We are also able to integrate and adapt our systems to suit your existing ordering methods, using either ISBN's or your own product SKU's.
Consumer direct fulfillment.
CBL offers consumer direct fulfilment services to internet retailers, ensuring fast and efficient delivery of a wide range of products. This streamlined process allows CBL to ship items directly to end consumers, maintaining quality and speed throughout the entire fulfilment cycle.
Our sales team.
CBL’s dedicated in-house sales team is made up of experienced, dynamic professionals who understand the book industry. We maintain strong, responsive relationships with major retail, wholesale, and internet buyers, ensuring consistent representation and support for all key titles, both domestically and internationally.
Featured publishing partners.
'As we are possibly the greatest of all time in terms of farmyard based publishers, It is a daily delight to work with CBL Distribution Ltd. Not only do they understand my needs as a publisher, but respect me as a person, something my own family still struggles with.'
Murphy McGoat
Barn Development Officer
GOAT Publishing
'Well, I member' when I first met with CBL, it was a Wednesday. I want to say it was June, but it could have been July, almost certainly was the first week of the month. I member that because I'd just paid the staff a few days before. Anyways, I drove down to their offices in Birmingham, I say down, I'm from South Wales, so it was really more drove across.. I think we had coffee...'
Alan Jones
Sheep Farmer
Sheep Books
'The first thing I ask myself when dealing with another business is 'How do they feel about Llama's' and in this instance, I can honestly say that CBL Distribution Ltd is not only very pro-llama, but also friendly towards alpaca's, which to find both within one company is quite rare. Its usually an either or situation. Now, that said, I haven't asked how they feel about kangaroo's, because frankly I find that quite taboo.'
Juan Francisco
Enviromental & Ethical Director
The National llama Journal
Akashic
Amersham
Artima
Barcharts
Bedford Square
Bitmap Books
Bookpoint
BookSource
Brand Nu
Central Books
Chello
CITB
Cognitive
College of Law
De Gruyter
Draw Like a Boss
Earth Life Press
Eastwood Harris
Edi.Ermes
Edra
Federico Veronesi
Focus
Foxton Books
Franzis
Painted Wolf
Pearson
Penguin
Le Penseur Publisher
PG Online
Piggyback
Porter Press
Raspberry Pi
Red Amaryllis
Remembering Wildlife
Rheinwerk
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Taschen
Taylor and Francis
The Hattan Company
The Law Society
TrackMaps
Turnaround
Umbria Press
University of Law
Utter & Press
Viperion
Wiley
Worth
Future Press
GBS
Geeks-Line
Hachette
Harper Collins
Hawksmoor
Hemisphere
Hidden Europe
House Publishing
Hungry Minds
Iskaboo
Kahboom
Kids Rule
Lola
Lynx
Mack
MagDig Media Publisher
McGraw Hill
Mistry Ricardo
Montserrat
Musuems Etc
National Book Network
Neil Jurd
Nosh
Let's start the conversation.
Lets start the conversation.
Our offices
Opening Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm
CBL Distribution Ltd.
CBL Suite, Cambrai Court
1229 Stratford Rd
Hall Green
Birmingham
B28 9AA
United Kingdom
CBL Distribution Ltd.
Registered in England No: 9027903.
VAT No: GB 186 4527 76Tel. 0121 608 3950
CBL Suite, Cambrai Court, 1229 Stratford Road,
Hall Green, Birmingham, B28 9AA, United Kingdom
Business privacy policy:
This privacy policy sets out how CBL Distribution Ltd uses and protects any information that you give CBL Distribution Ltd when you use this website.
CBL Distribution Ltd is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website and then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
CBL Distribution Ltd may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 15/05/2024.
What we collect:
We may collect the following information:-
Name and job title.
-
Contact information including email address.
-
Demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests.
-
Other information relevant to customer surveys, order fulfilment and/or offers.
What we do with the information we gather:
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:-
Internal record keeping.
-
We may use the information to improve our products and services.
-
We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.
Security:
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have
put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
How we use cookies:
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and
remembering information about your preferences. We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the
data is removed from the system.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us. You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Links to other websites:
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy
statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Controlling your personal information:
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:-
If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to us or emailing us at darren.brew@cbldistributionltd.co.uk
-
We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.
-
You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. A small fee will be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to our registered office address.
-
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.
-