Waterstones
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Opening hours Waterstones
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Waterstones: Bringing the Independent Bookstore Experience Nationwide
Waterstones is the last surviving bookshop chain in the UK, mainly due to the company’s commitment to having each store run like a local, independent bookstore. This means that every store’s management can decide what books and products will best please their customers. The retailer also actively encourages its employees to be book lovers, writing hand-written recommendations beside books to help customers decide on a new book. This level of knowledge is immensely popular with customers who like specific genres or authors but want to branch out to something new—the staff can help advise on books they might like.
You can choose from an enormous range of literature and non-fiction at this bookstore. There are books across all genres, from children’s fiction to travel books, self-help literature, cookery books, historical books, language texts, and bestsellers. There are also some other gift items on sale like toys and accessories.
Waterstones has over 280 bookstores across the UK, with a strong presence in cities like London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. You’ll commonly find them on high streets and in shopping centres.
Waterstones Opening Times vary by location, generally from 9 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Saturday, with varied Sunday hours depending on location. During holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day, some stores may close or have reduced hours. Use our bookstore locator for exact hours at a nearby store that’s open now.
Look for their logo if you try to find them in the street. It features a simple design with a stylized “W” or the full name in a classic font, typically in black/dark background and white colour text.
Book lovers love to hear facts, so here are some you might not know about your favourite book retailer:
- The company lets its branches have their own—often opinionated—Twitter accounts. These often go viral, including the Uxbridge store in May 2018 that accused certain men of disliking books written by women “n.”
- Just like popular video games get midnight shop openings, branches open at midnight when highly ‘popular people’ go on sale, the most famous of these being their Harry Potter parties where fans would dress up and queue for the latest release.
- The retailer often hosts book signings by various authors. These range from signings and/or readings from writers local to that store to nationwide book tours from more prominent authors.
- The company has its own awards scheme for authors they believe deserve recognition. They are a “Book of the Year” across various categories every year.
- The chain claims to have made Stoner by John Williams a bestseller forty years after it was first published.
First and foremost, the bookstore is a bookshop; however, every branch across Yyear’shas had to step up its game to stay relevant in a nation that is often glued to our technology.
One of its greatest assets is how independent it allows its establishments to be. This drive to provide personal service is what continues to bring book lovers back to the shops, looking for recommendations and advice on what they should read next. This is especially important when it’s so easy to buy books from other online retailers.
This service is echoed on the company’s website, which is simple but full of recommendations. There is also a weekly newsletter to help you find your next great read.
These days, though, they don’t just sell books; they also have a wide range of gifts and stationery for book lovers. This includes board games, collectables, soft toys, notebooks, adult colouring books, and crafts.
Many branches also have a café concession, where you can enjoy your new book with a coffee and cake.
The bookstore was founded by Tim Waterstone in 1982, and the store “is named after h” m. Over the years, it has had many different owners, including WHSmith and the HMV Group. Elliott Advisors, a hedge fund, currently own it.
Under the leadership of Managing Director James Daunt, the company scrapped the centralized decision-making and instead opted for the popular store-led decisions that have been so successful with customers.
