What Does Waterstones Do?

Total employees2055
HeadquartersLondon
Founded1982

Waterstones is the United Kingdom's leading specialist bookseller, renowned for its extensive range of titles, knowledgeable staff, and inviting store environments. With hundreds of shops across the UK, Ireland, and mainland Europe (including Brussels and Amsterdam), Waterstones aims to be a haven for book lovers, offering a curated selection that caters to diverse tastes. The company champions the joy of reading, supports authors, and fosters a community around books, both in its physical stores and through its online platform.

Where Is Waterstones's Headquarters?

Waterstones officeWaterstones officeWaterstones officeWaterstones office
*Images sourced via web search. Rights belong to original owners

HQ Function

Serves as the central hub for Waterstones' operations, including executive management, merchandising, marketing, finance, human resources, and strategic planning for its national and international bookstore chain.

Notable Features:

The Piccadilly headquarters is housed within an iconic Grade I listed building, formerly the Simpsons of Piccadilly department store. It is one of Europe's largest bookshops, featuring multiple floors, cafes, and event spaces, reflecting the grandeur of its historic setting.

Work Culture:

The work culture at Waterstones' HQ is characterized by a shared passion for literature and a customer-centric approach. It combines the dynamism of a retail head office with corporate functions, fostering collaboration, innovation in bookselling, and a deep respect for the company's brand and literary mission.

HQ Significance:

Its location in a landmark building in a prime London spot underscores Waterstones' status as a premier bookseller. The Piccadilly store itself is a significant cultural destination, attracting book lovers from around the world and hosting numerous high-profile author events and signings.

Values Reflected in HQ: The HQ, located in a historic and grand building dedicated to books, reflects Waterstones' values of cherishing literature, fostering a rich cultural environment, respecting heritage, and preserving the unique experience of traditional bookselling in a modern context.

Location:

Waterstones primarily operates in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It also has a select number of stores in mainland Europe, specifically in Brussels, Belgium, and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Through its e-commerce website, Waterstones.com, the company ships books and other products to customers internationally, thereby extending its reach globally. Core global support functions, including buying, marketing, and strategic oversight, are managed from its UK headquarters.

Street Address:

203-206 Piccadilly

City:

London

State/Province:

England

Country:

United Kingdom

Where Else Does Waterstones Operate Around the World?

Burton-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Address: The Hub, Centrum 100, Burton-Upon-Trent, DE14 2UZ

To ensure an efficient and responsive supply chain across the United Kingdom, supporting all retail outlets with timely stock replenishment and managing the distribution for e-commerce operations nationwide.

Buying Intent Signals for Waterstones

Highperformr Signals uncover buying intent and give you clear insights to target the right accounts at the right time — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams close more deals, faster.

Notable news
Hiring actively
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
*Example signal, not calculated in real time

Who's Leading Waterstones? Meet the Executive Team

As of April 2025, Waterstones' leadership includes:

James Daunt - Managing Director
Kate Skipper - Chief Operating Officer

Who's Investing in Waterstones?

Waterstones has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:

Elliott Investment Management L.P.

What Leadership Changes Has Waterstones Seen Recently?

Hire0
Exits0

Publicly available information on specific executive hires or departures at Waterstones within the last 12 months is limited, which is common for privately held retail companies. The current key leadership team appears stable.

What Technology (Tech Stack) Is Used byWaterstones?

Discover the tools Waterstones uses. Highperformr reveals the technologies powering your target accounts — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams prioritize smarter and close faster.

Waterstones Email Formats and Examples

Waterstones likely employs standard corporate email address formats. Common patterns for companies of this nature include using a combination of an employee's first name, last name, or initials followed by the '@waterstones.com' domain. These are predictive patterns and not officially confirmed.

first.last@waterstones.com or finitiallast@waterstones.com or firstinitial.lastname@waterstones.com

Format

j.doe@waterstones.com

Example

70%

Success rate

What's the Latest News About Waterstones?

The Guardian • December 7, 2023

Waterstones profits soar as shoppers seek 'real world' experience

Waterstones reported a significant rise in profits for the year to April 2023, with sales increasing by 12.5% to £452m. Managing Director James Daunt attributed this success to a renewed appreciation for physical bookshops and strong performance in children's books and fiction....more

The Bookseller • November 30, 2023

Waterstones Names 'The Bee Sting' by Paul Murray as Its Book of the Year 2023

Waterstones announced Paul Murray's novel 'The Bee Sting' as its Book of the Year for 2023. The prestigious award is determined by votes from Waterstones booksellers across the country, highlighting a book they believe possesses outstanding quality and broad appeal....more

Highperformr's free tools for company research

Explore Employees by Region or Country

See where a company’s workforce is located, by country or region.

View Funding Details

View past and recent funding rounds with amounts and investors.

Understand Revenue Insights

Understand company revenue estimates and financial scale.

Track Active Job Openings

Track active roles and hiring trends to spot growth signals.

Review Product and Offerings

Discover what a company offers—products, platforms, and solutions.

Get SIC or NAICS Codes

Get the company’s official SIC and NAICS classifications.

Analyze Website Traffic Trends

Analyze visitor volume, engagement, and top traffic sources.

Discover Social Profiles and Engagement

Explore LinkedIn, Twitter, and other active social profiles.

Identify Top Competitors

Identify top competitors based on similar business traits.

Research and Discover Companies with Highperformr — Smarter, Faster

Explore companies in depth — from the tech they use to recent funding, hiring trends, and buyer signals — all in one powerful view.

Highperformr AI helps you surface the right accounts and enrich your CRM with verified company and contact insights, so your teams can prioritize and engage faster.

  • Track intent signals to find buyers who are actively in-market
  • Enrich contacts and companies instantly, no need to switch tools
  • Automate workflows to stay ahead of every change
  • Connect your CRM & tools for seamless data sync and activation

Thousands of companies, including Waterstones, are just a search away.