Tag: Waterstones

Embarrassing climbdown by Waterstones

This doesn’t happen very often: there has been a small victory for independent bookshops over one of the big boys this week…

National bookselling chain Waterstones was forced to backtrack on its intention to open one of its unbranded stores in the same Edinburgh suburb that is already home to an independent bookshop.

The retail giant caused controversy last year when it announced it was opening three outlets in Southwold, Harpenden and Rye without the company’s traditional branding and with different names. The move led to accusations that the stores would surreptitiously appear to shoppers as independent bookshops (surely not?), with just a handwritten notice in the window declaring the true identity of the owners.

Waterstones chief executive, James Daunt, said at the time: “They are very small shops in towns that had independents and very much wish they still had independents but don’t.”

But plans emerged earlier this week that Waterstones was going to open a further unbranded store in the Edinburgh district of Stockbridge where – lo and behold – an independent, Golden Hare Books, is indeed trading, and has been for four years.

The shop’s not-best-pleased manager Julie Danskin told The Guardian: “This will be masquerading as an independent bookshop.”

“James Daunt talks a lot about an even playing field and working with independent brands, but this is essentially backtracking on his previous statements,” she added.

“We don’t have plans to go anywhere and really hope that people will choose to support us, but if more chains open up then we are going to see a homogenisation of streets.”

Daunt was quoted in the Bookseller as saying: “We will be calling it Stockbridge Books and look forward greatly to its opening.”

However, after a swift public backlash following the announcement, Waterstones was forced to change its tune and declared the new Stockbridge store would now display the Waterstones name and familiar branding. Daunt said: “We messed up.”

Yes, you did James – now how about reversing your original sleazy plan and uncovering all your unbranded shops?

There was always something sinister about the tactic of a chain opening unbranded stores under different names; deliberately posing as something you’re not in order to make more cash is simply not on. These shops are just trying to fool people into thinking that they’re bringing much-needed vibrancy to the high street, when in fact all they’re doing is homogenising it.

Do the right thing, Waterstones – claim what you own and work with it.

World Cup trophy theft – new book revives the tale

Chasing the Game coverMy new crime thriller Chasing the Game – a groundbreaking fictional take on the real-life theft of the World Cup trophy in 1966 – has just been released.

The solid gold Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen from Westminster Central Hall three months before the tournament and famously discovered by a dog named Pickles in a London street a week later, wrapped in newspaper. But the circumstances behind the crime, and its perpetrators, remain unsolved to this day.

Chasing the Game brings this intriguing tale to life, weaving a set of vivid characters into the tale to create a gripping – and shocking – version of a story that still draws much speculation today.

For more details on the background behind the 1966 theft of the Jules Rimet Trophy and the plot of Chasing the Game, please click here.

The book enjoys a timely release in the build-up to this summer’s World Cup in Brazil, a country where the Jules Rimet Trophy was actually stolen again in 1983, and this time never recovered.

You can order Chasing the Game from the book’s publishers Matador as well as several leading retailers including Amazon, iconic independent bookseller Foyles and Waterstones.

The book is available as a paperback as well as an ebook in all major formats.

More updates about the book will be posted on this website and on my Twitter page, @PaulJGadsby

If you would like to order a review copy for your newspaper/magazine/website/blog, or discuss an interview with the author, please feel free to email pauljgadsby(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)uk

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