US Dollar Surges, BBW Bali Keeps Imported Book Prices Affordable
Amid a surge in the US dollar against the rupiah, which has raised concerns over rising import prices, Big Bad Wolf (BBW) Bali has assured that book prices remain affordable. Visitors can still purchase books starting from Rp5,000.
Country Director of BBW Indonesia, Marthius Wandi Budianto, confirmed the company’s commitment to keeping books accessible to all without passing on cost increases to customers. “As per our commitment, we want to make books accessible to all segments of society. Even though everything is rising, our prices won’t increase,” Marthius said on Monday (25 May 2026).
BBW has implemented several strategies to prevent operational cost increases from directly affecting book prices. One approach is enhancing efficiency across various areas, from operations to the supply chain. “When it comes to margins, there’s still plenty of optimisation we can do before compromising on customers. Things like operational efficiency, supply chain efficiency, logistics efficiency – these are the areas we’re focusing on behind the scenes to continue offering our products to customers,” he explained.
In addition to efficiency measures, BBW is expanding partnership schemes with various parties to maintain competitive pricing. This strategy ensures customers can still access affordable books. “We’re coming up with more ideas to create new partnership deals with suppliers and payment intermediaries. There’s actually a lot going on,” he added.
This optimism is reflected in the enthusiasm of visitors on the first day of BBW Bali’s opening. From morning, residents flocked to the venue, trolleys in hand, to hunt for books.
Meanwhile, Big Bad Wolf International founder Andrew Yap believes hosting book bazaars in shopping centres is an effective way to bring books closer to the public. He noted that mall-based bazaars have unique advantages over convention centre events. “Many people don’t think about books because they’re not readily available. But if you place books in front of them, or children, they’ll become interested,” Andrew said.
On the other hand, Marthius remains optimistic that public reading interest will continue to grow despite economic volatility. He hopes the economy will soon recover. “Yes, we’re still very optimistic. As the saying goes, it shouldn’t drop much further than this. It should rebound,” he added.