Waterstone's
Encyclopedia
Waterstone's is a British book specialist established in 1982 by Tim Waterstone
Tim Waterstone
Tim Waterstone is the founder of the United Kingdom bookselling retail chain Waterstone's. Waterstone's now employs 4,500 staff, is the largest specialist bookseller in Europe, with stores in the UK, Holland, Belgium and Ireland, and is the third largest bookseller in the world.- Early life and...

 that employs around 4,500 staff throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.

As well as the Waterstone's brand, the group owns the London bookseller Hatchards
Hatchards
Hatchards is the oldest bookshop in London, and the second oldest bookshop in the United Kingdom. It was founded by John Hatchard in 1797 on Piccadilly in London, from where it still trades today...

, founded in 1797 and Irish store Hodges Figgis, founded in 1768, retaining these names due to their historical connections.

Background

Waterstone's state their mission as follows:
to be the leading Bookseller on the High Street and online providing customers the widest choice, great value and expert advice from a team passionate about Bookselling. Waterstone's aims to interest and excite its customers and continually inspire people to read and engage in books.


An average sized Waterstone's store merchandises a range of around 30,000 individual books, with 200,000 titles in the largest store.

History and developments

The chain was founded by and named after Tim Waterstone
Tim Waterstone
Tim Waterstone is the founder of the United Kingdom bookselling retail chain Waterstone's. Waterstone's now employs 4,500 staff, is the largest specialist bookseller in Europe, with stores in the UK, Holland, Belgium and Ireland, and is the third largest bookseller in the world.- Early life and...

 after he was made redundant by W H Smith
W H Smith
WHSmith plc is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is best known for its chain of high street, railway station, airport, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and entertainment products...

. In 1989, W H Smith took a share in the chain, and Tim Waterstone sold out to them in 1993. In 1998, Smiths sold the chain for £300m to HMV Media (now HMV Group plc), a new venture in which EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

 was a major shareholder and which already owned the rival Dillons
Dillons Booksellers
Dillons was a bookshop and subsequently a bookselling chain, based in the United Kingdom, which traded between 1932 and 1999.Founded by Una Dillon in 1932, Dillons was for most of its history most closely associated with its signature building on Gower Street in London, near University College...

 chain. In 1999 the majority of Dillons stores were rebranded as Waterstone's with some sold to rival Ottakar's
Ottakar's
Ottakar's was a chain of bookshops in the United Kingdom founded in 1987 by James Heneage. Following a takeover by the HMV Group plc in 2006, the chain was merged into the Waterstone's brand.-History:...

. In 2006, Tim Waterstone attempted to buy back his business from HMV, but later withdrew his offer.

Waterstone's launched the Waterstone's Books Quarterly magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

 in 2001 containing book reviews and author interviews.

Gerry Johnson was appointed managing director of Waterstone's in September 2005. He oversaw some crucial developments in the company, such as the relaunch of the chain's internet operations and a restructuring of its supply chain. Waterstone's online operations were franchised to Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

 in 2001. However, in September 2006 it independently relaunched its internet retail site, Waterstones.com. In 2006, the chain began to pilot a loyalty programme in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...

 and Wales. The scheme was then expanded nationally, to its stores across the United Kingdom as well as those in Europe and Ireland. In 2007, Waterstone's commissioned a redesign of its stores to be piloted across the country, beginning with its store in Manchester's Arndale Centre, in an attempt "to attract more footfall and provide a more compelling brand experience to their customers." The redesign was implemented in a small number of stores.

From September 2008 a new 150000 sq ft (13,935.5 m²) warehouse and distribution centre in Burton-upon-Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....

 began to supply all Waterstone's stores and Waterstones.com orders. Existing direct-to-store deliveries from suppliers were replaced by the centralized "Book Hub" - which would "receive merchandise and sort by section an estimated 70 million books per year, and deliver them directly to store" in addition to dealing with book returns, with an on-site pulping system. After a consultation in January 2009 redundancies were made despite initial comments that the new system would allow these staff "more time on the shop floor serving customers."

Waterstone's was the first bookseller in the UK to begin selling the Sony Reader
Sony Reader
The Sony Reader is a line of e-book readers manufactured by Sony. It uses an electronic paper display developed by E Ink Corporation, is viewable in direct sunlight, requires no power to maintain a static image, and is usable in portrait or landscape orientation.Sony sells e-books for the Reader...

 in September 2008. An agreement saw Waterstone's branches and Sony Centre
Sony Centre
Sony Centre is a chain of stores in Europe which sell electrical goods made by manufacturer Sony. Many of their stores on Mainland Europe have been recently been rebranded to Sony Centre after being called Sony Galleria...

 stores stock the eBook reader exclusively for two weeks after its release, as Waterstones.com began to supply books in the recommended eBook (.epub
EPUB
EPUB is a free and open e-book standard by the International Digital Publishing Forum...

) format.

In January 2010, HMV Media announced that Waterstone's like for like sales over the Christmas period were down 8.5 per cent on the previous year. It was also announced that managing director Gerry Johnson had left the business with immediate effect. He was replaced by HMV group development director Dominic Myers, who was managing director of the British academic bookselling chain Blackwells. Myers, an Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

 English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....

 graduate, joined HMV in 2006 to oversee the integration of Ottakar's into the Waterstone's chain. In response to the decline in sales, Dominic Myers implemented a three-year plan in which stores will be tailored to their local market alongside a "rejuvenation" of the company brand and an increase in range. Alongside these changes, Waterstone's implemented new branding in May 2010, developed by agency VentureThree.

From 2003 until the end of 2009, Waterstone's sponsored charity was Dyslexia Action UK, helping to raise awareness and understanding for Dyslexia. From 2010, Waterstone's moved to support the Rainbow Trust
Rainbow Trust Children's Charity
The Rainbow Trust Children's Charity is a support organisation for the families of children with life-threatening and terminal illnesses based in Leatherhead, Surrey.- Activities :...

 which provides support to children with life threatening and terminal illnesses and their families.

On 5 January 2011 HMV Group announced that profits would be at the lower end of analysts' forecasts due to falling sales, resulting in the share price falling by 20 per cent and an announcement of the groups intention to close 20 Waterstone's stores, as well as 40 HMV stores, mainly in towns where the company operates at multiple locations.

On 6 February 2011, two Waterstone's stores in Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 closed. However stores in Cork City and Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....

 were unaffected along with Dublin's Hodges Figgis.

In May 2011, HMV announced the sale of Waterstone's to A&NN Capital Fund Management, a fund controlled by Russian businessman Alexander Mamut
Alexander Mamut
Alexander Leonidovich Mamut , born January 29, 1960 in Moscow to a family of lawyers, is a businessman and investor. He was previously an advisor to the former Russian government of Boris Yeltsin, and was a friend of Yeltsin's daughter Tatyana Dyachenko. He is best known outside Russia for his...

 for £53 million. The takeover has been welcomed by Children's book publishers as a step forward to re-establishing a proper physical presence, and that the anticipated store closures will help sales focus. Mamet appointed James Daunt
James Daunt
James Daunt is a British businessman. He is the founder of the Daunt Books chain, and since May 2011 has been managing director of the book chain Waterstone's.-Life:...

 as managing director.

On 29 June 2011, The sale of Waterstone's to A&NN Capital Fund Management for £53 million was completed and was approved by the vast majority of shareholders at an emergency general meeting.

Waterstone's announced that, from September 2011, its 3-for-2 deal on books, which had been in place for the previous 10 years, would be dropped. It is to be replaced with a new book pricing structure.

As of November 2011, the decision was made to close the Waterstone's store in Milton Keynes, Midsummer Place, joining Dorking, Lancaster University, Harrods, Gateshead and Norwich Arcade in a second wave of store closures.

Ottakar's

In September 2005 Waterstone's parent company HMV Group began attempts to buy rival book chain Ottakar's
Ottakar's
Ottakar's was a chain of bookshops in the United Kingdom founded in 1987 by James Heneage. Following a takeover by the HMV Group plc in 2006, the chain was merged into the Waterstone's brand.-History:...

. This alarmed publishers and authors who hoped the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...

 would refer the takeover bid to the Competition Commission
Competition Commission
The Competition Commission is a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom...

. They did so on 6 December 2005. On 30 March 2006 the Competition Commission
Competition Commission
The Competition Commission is a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom...

 cleared Waterstone's for takeover of the Ottakar's group stating the takeover would "not result in a substantial lessening of competition", and is "not likely to affect book prices, range of titles offered or quality of service." Through extensive research they also found that "contrary to widespread perception, Waterstone's, like Ottakar's, operates a book-buying system which mixes central and local input on stock selection."

On 31 May 2006, Waterstone's announced that it had successfully negotiated the takeover of Ottakar's. HMV chief executive Alan Giles
Alan Giles
Alan Giles is Chairman of Fat Face, the active lifestyle retailer.He was chief executive officer of HMV Group, owner of record shop HMV, which he joined in 1998, from March 1999 until September 2006....

 said: "A combined Waterstone's and Ottakar's business will create an exciting, quality bookseller, able to respond better to the increasingly competitive pressures of the retail market." Ottakar's chairman Philip Dunne said: "Over the last year the book market has undergone a significant change with new levels of competition from the supermarkets and online retailers impacting all specialist booksellers and in particular those with insufficient scale to compete on equal terms."

Following the takeover, HMV announced that they would be rebranding every branch of Ottakar's as a Waterstone's. In July 2006, a conversion programme was initiated and within four months, every Ottakar's store had been relaunched as a Waterstone's with the loss of 100 jobs.

Books etc takeover

Increasing its presence within London, Waterstone's took over eight Books etc. stores from Borders UK in August 2008. The stores in Fleet Street, London Wall, Holborn, Wandsworth, Uxbridge, Finchley Road, and Canary Wharf were rebranded and merged into the Waterstone's chain.

Retail awards

Waterstone's has been awarded for its retail achievements and the expertise of its staff. At the beginning of 2008, Waterstones.com was awarded a silver badge for the Best Books Website category at the BT
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...

 Online Excellence Awards. In a survey of 96 British chains in January 2009, Waterstone's scored 69% for a Which? customer satisfaction survey on "products, price, staff and shopping environment and whether they would recommend the shop to a friend" - placing the chain in joint eight position.

British Book Industry Awards

In 2008 the company "was lauded for the success of its loyalty card, Writer's Year promotion, online growth and its Get Selling bookseller training." at the Bookseller Retail Awards.
  • High Street Retailer of the Year
  • Nielsen Book Marketing Campaign of the Year

Children's Book Prize

Waterstone's continues the Ottakar's Children's Book Prize under its own brand. Since 2005, the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize
Waterstone's Children's Book Prize
The Waterstone's Children's Book Prize is an annual award given to a work of children's literature published during the previous year. First awarded in 2005, the purpose of the prize is "to uncover hidden talent in children's writing" and is therefore open only to authors who have published no more...

 has attempted "to uncover hidden talent in children's writing" by awarding authors with no more than two previously published books (adult or children's fiction).
  • 2011 Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari
  • 2010 The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies
  • 2009 The Thirteen Treasures by Michelle Harrison
    Michelle Harrison
    Michelle Harrison is a British author, whose debut novel, The 13 Treasures won the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize and has been sold for translation in 16 countries...

  • 2008 Ways to Live Forever
    Ways to Live Forever
    Ways to Live Forever is a children's novel by Sally Nicholls, first published in 2008. The author's debut novel, it was written when Nicholls was 23 years old....

     by Sally Nicholls
    Sally Nicholls
    - Life :Nicholls was born and grew up in Stockton-on-Tees. She attended Great Ayton Friends' School until its closure and subsequently Egglescliffe School until 2001.On finishing school, Nicholls chose to travel around the world...

  • 2007 Darkside
    Darkside (novel)
    Darkside is a children's novel by Tom Becker, about a boy called Jonathan who discovers a world hidden in London; a world run by Jack the Ripper's family. Only the worst of the worst live here, and all too quickly Johnathan gets mixed up in a world full of murders, thieves and, of course, a...

     by Tom Becker
    Tom Becker
    Tom Becker is a British children's author. He studied history at Jesus College, Oxford. He won the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize for his first novel, Darkside, at the age of 25.-Bibliography:* Darkside...

  • 2006 The Diamond of Drury Lane
    The Diamond of Drury Lane
    The Diamond of Drury Lane is a children's historical novel by Julia Golding which won the Nestle Children's Book Prize Gold Award in 2006. The book is set on 1 January 1790.-Plot:...

     by Julia Golding
    Julia Golding
    Julia Golding is a British novelist.Julia Golding grew up on the edge of Epping Forest. She originally read English at the University of Cambridge. She then joined the Foreign Office and worked in Poland...

  • 2005 The Cry of the Icemark
    The Cry of the Icemark
    The Cry Of The Icemark is the first book in the Icemark Chronicles by English author Stuart Hill. The plot revolves around thirteen year old princess Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield, as she must fight to save her small home, the Icemark, from the invading Polypontian Empire.The novel...

     by Stuart Hill
    Stuart Hill (Author)
    Stuart Hill is a British author. He was born in Leicester, where he still lives. He has written three books in The Icemark Chronicles: The Cry of the Icemark, Blade of Fire and Last Battle of the Icemark. He studied English, Classics and Ancient History at Newcastle University.On July 25 2011 ...



Waterstone's is also the main sponsor of The Children's Laureate
Children's Laureate
Children's Laureate is a position awarded in the UK once every two years to a distinguished writer or illustrator of children's books. A biannual bursary of £10,000 is offered...

, previously sponsored by Ottakar's.

Locations

Waterstone's has around 300 academic and high street shops in Europe including the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 (including Dublin, Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

 and Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....

), and in the Netherlands and Belgium (including Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

 and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

). Its flagship store on Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...

 is the largest bookshop in Europe. The main academic branch is located on Gower Street, between University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...

 and the University of London Union
University of London Union
The University of London Union is the university-wide students' union for the University of London...

, and is the largest academic bookshop in Europe. Other large "superstores" in the UK include Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street, Bridlesmith Gate Nottingham, Deansgate Manchester, and Milsom Street in Bath.

Waterstone's has acquired a reputation for its sympathetic re-use of buildings of architectural
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 and historical
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

 interest. Some branches reusing these historical buildings include:
  • Piccadilly, London (formerly Simpsons of Piccadilly
    Simpsons of Piccadilly
    Simpsons of Piccadilly was a large retail shop which traded at 203-206 Piccadilly in central London, England, and was built as a quality clothing store for men in 1935–36...

    )
  • Deansgate
    Deansgate
    Deansgate is a main road through the city centre of Manchester, England. It runs roughly north–south in a near straight route through the western part of the city centre and is the longest road in the city centre at over one mile long....

    , Manchester
    Manchester
    Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

  • Bold Street, Liverpool
    Bold Street, Liverpool
    Bold Street is a street in Liverpool, England. It is known for its cafés and for the Church of St Luke, which is situated at the top end. The bottom end leads into the area surrounding Clayton Square, which is part of the main retail district of central Liverpool. The bottom end contains more...

  • Broad Street
    Broad Street, Reading
    Broad Street is a main pedestrianised thoroughfare and the primary high street in the English town of Reading. The street is situated in the town centre, running for approximately , from west to east. The western end of the road lies at the crossroads with Oxford Road, West Street and St Mary's...

    , Reading
    Reading, Berkshire
    Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

     (formerly Broad Street Independent Chapel
    Broad Street Independent Chapel, Reading
    Broad Street Independent Chapel is a former nonconformist chapel dating from 1707. It is situated in Broad Street, now the principal shopping street of the English town of Reading. The building has been sympathetically reused as a branch of the Waterstone's chain of bookshops...

    )
  • Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

     (closed December 2007)
  • Emerson Chambers, Newcastle upon Tyne
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

  • La Scala Cinema, Sauchiehall Street
    Sauchiehall Street
    Sauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...

    , Glasgow
    Glasgow
    Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

  • New Street, Birmingham
    New Street, Birmingham
    New Street is a street in central Birmingham, England . It is one of the city's principal thoroughfares and shopping streets. Named after it is Birmingham New Street Station, although that does not have an entrance on New Street except through the Pallasades Shopping Centre.-History:New Street is...

     A grade II listed former Midland Bank building (1867–1869), designed by Edward Holmes
  • Dolphin & Anchor, West Street, Chichester
    Chichester
    Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...

  • Wool Exchange
    Wool Exchange, Bradford
    The Wool Exchange Building in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England is a grade I-listed building built as a wool-trading centre in the 19th century. The grandeur of its Gothic Revival architecture is symbolic of the wealth and importance that wool brought to Bradford...

    , Bradford
    Bradford
    Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

  • The Carlton Cinema, Swansea
    Swansea
    Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...

  • Fishergate, Preston, formerly Booths
    Booths
    Booths is a chain of supermarkets in Northern England. Most of its branches are located in Lancashire, but there are also branches in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. Booths is targeted at the middle class market and competes on quality as opposed to just...

     ornate grocery and head office
  • Corn Exchange, Lincoln
    Lincoln, Lincolnshire
    Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....

  • West End Princes Street
    Princes Street
    Princes Street is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, and its main shopping street. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1 mile from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east. The street is mostly closed to private...

    , Edinburgh
    Edinburgh
    Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

  • High Street, Worcester
    Worcester
    The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...

     (closed February 2011)
  • Dawson Street
    Dawson Street
    Dawson Street is one of the main streets of central Dublin, running parallel to Grafton Street, to which it is connected by Duke Street and South Anne Street...

    , Dublin - the former location of Hodges Figgis (as mentioned in Ulysses
    Ulysses (novel)
    Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...

    )
  • Cornmarket St, Oxford
    Oxford
    The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

  • Canterbury
    Canterbury
    Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....

    , St Margaret's Street (The basement has a display of the buried remains of a Roman bath-house)
  • Milton Keynes, Midsummer Place
    Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre
    Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre is a regional shopping centre located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England which is about 50 miles north-west of London. It is managed in two separate parts, thecentre:mk and Midsummer Place...

     (closed December 2011)

Controversies

In November 2008, Waterstone's cancelled a book-signing event by poet Patrick Jones
Patrick Jones
Patrick Jones is a Welsh poet, playwright and filmmaker. His work is often in collaboration with the rock band Manic Street Preachers; his brother, Nicky Wire, is their bassist.-Biography:...

 at its Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

 store. Christian Voice
Christian Voice (UK)
Christian Voice is a Christian pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its stated objective is "to uphold Christianity as the Faith of the United Kingdom, to be a voice for Biblical values in law and public policy, and to defend and support traditional family life." It is independent of...

 had described the book as "obscene and blasphemous" and commented "Just the knowledge that we were on our way has put the fear of God into the opposition." Jones said he was not going to be "beaten down" by religious activists and signed copies for a small group of people in the street, arguing "There shouldn't be censorship of this sort." Waterstone's said the event was cancelled "to avoid potential disruption to our store," saying that the safety of its booksellers was its main priority, and pointing out that the book remained on sale throughout its branches.

In October 2009, Waterstone's banned internet access to the trade magazine and its website, The Bookseller.com
The Bookseller
The Bookseller is a British magazine reporting news on the publishing industry. Neill Denny is editor-in-chief of the weekly print edition of the magazine, while Philip Jones is deputy editor, having recently been promoted from the position of managing editor of the Bookseller.com...

, from all stores. According to the store intranet, Gerry Johnson claimed this was due to the magazine not being needed to run "daily business activity" at the company and could be "misleading". However, others have suggested that this was due to an article printed by The Bookseller which ran negative publicity on the performance of the new "Book Hub" central distribution centre. Following the departure of Johnson from the business, Waterstone's reversed this decision.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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