Waterstones will open two new bookshops in John Lewis department stores, following the success of the branch operating in the company's flagship Oxford St. location, which opened last year, the Bookseller reported. Waterstones at John Lewis Cheadle will open August 29 and Waterstones at John Lewis Bluewater, the second Waterstones bookshop in the shopping center, will make its debut September 12.
Waterstones COO Kate Skipper said the company was "thrilled to be continuing our partnership with John Lewis and unveiling two new Waterstones bookshops... as we aim to bring a bookshop to even more readers. Both shops will be fully ranged bookshops and staffed with expert Waterstones booksellers, adding personal reading recommendations and extensive bookshop ranges to these flagship John Lewis stores."
Katie Papakonstantinou, director of hospitality and services for John Lewis, commented: "We're delighted to be expanding our partnership.... The response to our first bookshop on Oxford Street was overwhelmingly positive, proving that our customers love the experience of being able to browse a curated collection of books as part of their John Lewis visit. This is a key part of our strategy to invest in our existing stores, enhancing them as exciting destinations for our customers and showcasing the experiential role that physical retail can play."
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In Australia, Mark Newman will step down from his role as CEO of Dymocks Retail after five years at the helm, Books+Publishing reported. He was appointed managing director in 2020, replacing Steve Cox. The board said it has "commenced a leadership transition process and will provide a further update on future arrangements in due course."
Dymocks Group chair John Forsyth said, "On behalf of the board, I want to thank Mark for his leadership and dedication during the past five years. His contribution during a complex period has helped position Dymocks Retail for continued success."
Newman commented: "I would like to thank the Dymocks Group board for giving me the opportunity to lead one of Australia's most well-known and respected brands and to be able to work with such a dedicated and passionate team across both our company employees and franchisees. I am honored to have played my part in a short period in its long history, and I look forward to keeping an eye on its continued success."
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In its latest "Shop Talk" series, Quill & Quire interviewed the trio behind Good Dog Books in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada: Michael Higgins, Madelaine Higgins, and Tyler LeBlanc. Among the highlights from the q&a was this one from Leblanc:
What has been most surprising or unexpected about opening a bookstore or about your first year in business?
It has been the demographics of our customers. We see tons of young people coming in looking for books. Teenagers looking to read the classics, tweens picking up the next book in their favorite series, and folks in their early 20s picking up titles the day they are released. Often people doubt that younger generations are reading, but from what I've seen here, that is absolutely not true. --Robert Gray