By Meghna Sharma There is a particular kind of pause that happens inside a good bookstore. Someone who walked in for one title stops at a table of new releases. A child sits on the floor comparing two picture books. A student checks the exam-preparation shelves, while another reader turns a paperback over to read the last line of the blurb before deciding whether to take it home. Even in an age of one-click ordering and e-books, the physical bookstore still offers something the screen cannot: discovery by accident.
India’s organised bookstore market in 2026 is smaller than its fashion or electronics retail sectors, but it remains remarkably diverse. National chains coexist with century-old booksellers, publisher-owned networks and powerful regional brands. Some have expanded into toys, stationery, gifts and cafes to keep stores viable, while others continue to make books the centre of the experience. This ranking considers current store footprint, geographic reach, book selection, regional-language strength, longevity, reader engagement and the importance of books to the retail format. Based on those factors, here are the Top 10 Bookstore Chains in India in 2026.
1. Crossword Bookstores
Crossword is the clearest national leader in Indian bookstore retail in 2026. Founded in 1992, the chain says it now operates 120 stores across 40 cities, giving it a physical footprint no other mainstream bookstore brand in the country currently matches. Its stores are designed as browsing destinations rather than simple book counters, with fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, business, self-help and other categories supported by stationery, toys and gifts.
Crossword has also kept the bookstore relevant through author events, children’s reading sessions and the long-running Crossword Book Awards. Its identity remains strongly book-led. Its ability to combine a large city network with community programming and a modern mall-friendly format makes Crossword the No. 1 bookstore chain in India.
2. Higginbothams
Higginbothams is not only one of India’s largest bookstore chains but also one of its oldest surviving retail institutions. Founded in Chennai in the nineteenth century, the brand currently promotes a network of more than 40 stores. Its best-known outlets include the historic Mount Road store in Chennai and the MG Road store in Bengaluru, while the wider network extends through several southern markets and travel locations.
The atmosphere is very different from a typical lifestyle bookstore. Higginbothams remains heavily book-oriented, with literature, academic titles, children’s books, reference works and new releases at the centre of its identity. That combination of heritage, substantial scale and continued relevance gives it a deserved No. 2 position.
3. DC Books
DC Books has built one of India’s strongest regional bookstore networks around Malayalam publishing and reading culture. The company says it retails through 37 stores spread across Kerala, while its current shop list also includes airport locations. The network covers major cities and district centres including Kochi, Kozhikode, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Kannur, Palakkad and Alappuzha.
Its biggest advantage is vertical integration. DC Books is both a major publisher and retailer, so its shops have exceptional depth in Malayalam literature while also stocking English fiction, children’s books, reference titles, biographies and other categories. In a country where regional-language reading remains enormously important, DC Books proves that a bookstore chain does not need to be pan-India to be nationally significant.
4. Sapna Book House
Sapna Book House is one of India’s largest large-format bookstore businesses and a familiar name across Karnataka and neighbouring markets. Its current store locator describes more than 25 large-format stores covering about 5.5 lakh square feet of retail space. Bengaluru remains the heart of the network, but Sapna also operates in cities such as Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Coimbatore, Erode and Pune.
Sapna’s strength is breadth. Alongside fiction and general reading, it carries academic and educational books, regional-language titles, competitive-exam material, stationery, art supplies, toys, gifts and school products. Its large stores function as family retail destinations, but books remain central to the business. Strong educational inventory and Kannada-language depth make Sapna especially important in South India.
5. H&C Stores
H&C Stores is another powerful southern bookstore chain that deserves far more national attention than it usually receives. Its current branch list shows 21 locations, concentrated in Kerala with an additional Bengaluru store. The network covers Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kanhangad, Thrissur, Kollam, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvalla and other major Kerala markets.
The chain combines general books with school and college material, stationery and office supplies, while also maintaining strong Malayalam publishing and distribution connections. That makes H&C particularly useful to students and families as well as general readers. Its dense statewide reach places it comfortably among India’s largest genuine bookstore networks.
6. Mathrubhumi Books
Mathrubhumi Books combines publishing heritage with a surprisingly broad retail network. Its official store locator currently lists 19 locations across Kerala, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvalla, Thodupuzha, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kanhangad, along with a Cochin airport location.
The stores are particularly strong in Malayalam literature, new releases, biographies, politics, children’s books and cultural writing, while also carrying selected English titles. Like DC Books, Mathrubhumi benefits from being closely tied to a major publishing organisation. Its network is regional rather than national, but its reach inside Kerala is extensive enough to make it one of India’s most important bookstore chains.
7. Om Book Shop
Om Book Shop has built a strong mall-based network around Delhi NCR while extending into other major cities. Its current locator lists 15 stores: five in Delhi, three in Noida, three in Gurugram, two in Chennai and one each in Bengaluru and Dehradun. Many outlets are located in prominent malls, giving the chain access to high family and weekend footfall.
The stores carry fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, lifestyle titles and gift-friendly books, supported by the wider publishing and distribution strength of Om Books International. Om is especially strong at combining mainstream bestselling titles with attractive children’s and illustrated books. Its multi-city presence keeps it among the leading organised bookstore chains in the country.
8. Bahrisons Booksellers
Bahrisons began in Delhi’s Khan Market in 1953 and has grown carefully without losing the character of an independent bookseller. Its current network includes eight locations across Delhi, Gurugram, Chandigarh and Kolkata, including dedicated book-cafe formats and the Bahri Kids store in Khan Market.
Unlike chains built around very large store counts, Bahrisons competes through curation, knowledgeable bookselling and a strong literary identity. Its shelves are known for serious fiction, history, politics, current affairs, children’s titles and international publishing. The expansion into book cafes has also allowed the brand to create places where readers can linger rather than simply purchase and leave.
9. Oxford Bookstore
Oxford Bookstore is one of India’s most iconic bookstore names, with a history dating back to 1919. Its current official locator lists three stores: the flagship on Park Street in Kolkata, Connaught Place in New Delhi and Symphony Mall in Bhubaneswar. The footprint is much smaller than it once was, but the brand’s cultural importance remains larger than its store count suggests.
Oxford has long positioned itself as ‘more than a bookstore’, using author events, literary festivals and its Cha Bar concept to turn book retail into a cultural experience. The Park Street flagship remains particularly significant in Indian bookselling. Oxford ranks here on heritage, influence and multi-city presence rather than sheer scale.
10. Starmark
Starmark is Kolkata’s leading large-format family bookstore chain. Owned by the Emami Group, it currently operates five stores in the city at South City Mall, Quest Mall, Mani Square, City Centre 1 and City Centre 2. Its stores combine books with stationery, toys, gifts, art-and-craft products and other leisure categories.
Books nevertheless remain an important part of the Starmark experience, and the chain frequently hosts launches, author interactions and children’s activities. Its geographic reach is concentrated in one metropolitan area, which limits its national ranking, but within Kolkata it has the kind of scale and visibility that few city-focused bookstore brands can match.
Conclusion
India’s bookstore-chain landscape in 2026 is more regional than many other retail categories. Crossword is the clear national-scale leader, while Higginbothams combines unusual size with more than a century of heritage. DC Books, Sapna, H&C and Mathrubhumi show how strong regional-language and education markets can support sizeable physical networks even when online shopping is growing.
The survival of these chains also says something important about what readers still want. A website is excellent when the title is already known; a bookstore is valuable when it is not. The chains that keep giving readers space to browse, discover, attend events and introduce children to books have the best chance of remaining relevant in the years ahead.
FAQs
Q1. Can a bookstore usually order a title that is not available on its shelves?
Often yes. Larger chains work with multiple publishers and distributors and may be able to arrange an unavailable title if it is still in print and distributed in India. Ask whether the store takes special orders, whether an advance payment is required and how long sourcing normally takes.
Q2. Why can the same book have different prices online and in a physical bookstore?
The printed MRP is the maximum retail price, but retailers can offer different discounts. Online platforms may subsidise popular titles heavily, while physical stores have rent, staffing and inventory costs. Bookstores may instead offer memberships, loyalty points, seasonal discounts or publisher-led promotions.
Q3. Can books bought from one branch of a chain be exchanged at another branch?
Not automatically. Exchange rules can depend on the chain, the branch, the product category and whether the stores use a common billing system. Books in saleable condition may still be excluded if they were discounted, specially ordered or bought during a clearance. Keep the invoice and check the policy before travelling to another branch.
Q4. How can parents judge whether a bookstore has a genuinely good children’s section?
Look beyond the size of the display. A good children’s department should offer books across age bands, Indian and international authors, picture books, early readers, nonfiction, comics and titles in regional languages where relevant. Staff who can recommend books by reading level or interest are particularly valuable.
Q5. Are regional-language books widely available in national bookstore chains?
Availability varies greatly by city. National chains usually tailor part of their inventory to the local market, but regional specialists often provide much greater depth. In Kerala, chains such as DC Books and Mathrubhumi are especially strong in Malayalam, while Sapna has extensive Kannada and other South Indian language selections. For less common titles, checking stock with the branch before visiting is useful.