Waterstones CEO James Daunt, who is also the CEO of Barnes and Noble, announced that he would implement a 6.2% pay rise for all Waterstones employees, starting on April the 1st. The pay rise will see entry-level booksellers earn £8.21, the statutory National Living Wage. However, this remains £1.09 an hour below what LWF calculates is enough to live on across the UK, and £2.54 … [Read more...] about Waterstones is going to start increasing employee wages in April
Waterstones
Waterstones bookstore has been sold
Waterstones is the largest bookstore chain in the United Kingdom and there are 283 locations across the country. It was put up for sale last year by Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut and it has just been acquired for an undisclosed sum by the hedge fund Elliott Advisors. Mr Mamut, who bought the chain from HMV for £53m in 2011 and has provided extensive financial support for … [Read more...] about Waterstones bookstore has been sold
The Waterstones eBook Store is Closing
The Waterstone's eBook Store is closing and all of the digital content is being transferred over to Kobo. The UK bookseller announced this today on their main website and also via email to their existing customers. This is the 3rd major company to strike a relationship with Kobo. The United Kingdom is facing a digital crisis with many of the leading e-book companies going … [Read more...] about The Waterstones eBook Store is Closing
Waterstones will no longer carry Kindle e-Readers
Waterstones, the United Kingdom bookseller, has announced that they are no longer going to carry Kindle e-readers. CEO James Daunt said there had been no sign of a “bounce” in Kindle sales, so the company was “taking the display space back” to use for physical books instead. Many people in the book selling industry were surprised when Daunt and Waterstones forged a … [Read more...] about Waterstones will no longer carry Kindle e-Readers
503 Books to hit UK Bookstores on the Exact Same Day
Super Thursday is a key date in the publishing industry on the road to the Christmas season. Traditionally publishers would release the bulk of their new hardback titles in preparation to have millions of people buying gifts for their friends and loved ones. This year, Super Thursday in the United Kingdom is poised to surpass the number of books releases in one day. On … [Read more...] about 503 Books to hit UK Bookstores on the Exact Same Day
Waterstones Makes e-book Recommendations via Source Code
Waterstones is the largest bookstore chain in the United Kingdom. The bookseller prides themselves positioning titles in the stores and online in order to assist people in discovering a brand new title. The company has gone beyond algorithms that monitor your website browsing behavior and is making active recommendations within their source code. Many young web developers … [Read more...] about Waterstones Makes e-book Recommendations via Source Code
Waterstones in Talks to Purchase Blinkbox Books
Waterstones is in desperate need for an e-Book solution that they can market in all 300 of their retail stores in the United Kingdom. The bookseller has not been directly selling content, but making thin margins on every digital sale people make from the Kindles they buy from the shops. Salvation might be at hand, as Waterstones is in negations with Tesco about their Blinkbox … [Read more...] about Waterstones in Talks to Purchase Blinkbox Books
Waterstones Proclaims Kindle e-Reader Sales are Dead
Waterstones is the largest bookstore chain the United Kingdom and they have proclaimed that Kindle sales had “disappeared to all intents and purposes.” James Daunt is the CEO of Waterstones and many people in the bookselling industry were surprised when he forged a relationship with Amazon in 2012 to sell Kindle e-reader. A year prior, in a series of interviews, Daunt spoke … [Read more...] about Waterstones Proclaims Kindle e-Reader Sales are Dead
Amazon Now Accused of Causing Unemployment
As if the "evil empire" of book selling hasn't done enough to live up to the reputation that its critics have put forth, a new interview in the Financial Times with Waterstones' CEO James Daunt describes how Amazon is causing unemployment rates to skyrocket, especially in terms of high street booksellers. Despite the fact that employment numbers from 2010 show that more than … [Read more...] about Amazon Now Accused of Causing Unemployment
Bilbary Founder Time Coates on What Libraries Need
The current climate of digital publishing and its impact on public libraries is a hotly contested topic right now, leading even to jabs and jeers from both sides of the issue. Tim Coates, founder of ebookstore and rental platform Bilbary and former CEO of UK retail chain Waterstones, spoke with GoodeReader about an article he wrote entitled, "The Ideal Library." While Coates … [Read more...] about Bilbary Founder Time Coates on What Libraries Need
UK’s Waterstones Talks About Forging A Deal with Amazon
The BBC website published an interview this week with James Daunt, the managing director of Waterstones, the largest physical bookstore chain in the UK. While Daunt had originally had some aggressive things to say about the apparent global dominance of the online retailer, Daunt signed a deal in May of this year that would put Kindle e-readers on display in Waterstones stores. … [Read more...] about UK’s Waterstones Talks About Forging A Deal with Amazon
Waterstones and Amazon Team Up for UK Expansion
Waterstones has just inked a deal with Amazon today! The UK bookseller intends on selling the Kindle branded e-readers in their retail shops and offer ebooks online via their website. The digital revolution has not passed Waterstones by, and the company intends on transforming their retail experience. It wants to dramatically refurbishing the retail space in the coming … [Read more...] about Waterstones and Amazon Team Up for UK Expansion
Waterstone’s: 2012 Will Be a Crucial Year for Academic Books
The digital divide has finally begun to worry brick-and-mortar retailers of academic books and textbooks, according to an article in The Bookseller. In this article, Lisa Campbell divulges the content of Waterstone’surgent talks with publishers, namely, that the publishers and book stores are going to have to work together if the retailers are to survive and continue selling … [Read more...] about Waterstone’s: 2012 Will Be a Crucial Year for Academic Books
Barnes & Noble to Go International
Barnes & Noble has made some broad announcements about its plans to expand its digital reading platform and devices into the UK, but so far the time frame and other details are unknown. B&N CEO William Lynch made the statement last month that Barnes & Noble would be bringing its NOOK family of e-readers to the UK within the next four months, but so far that is the … [Read more...] about Barnes & Noble to Go International