Waterstones back in the black after five years

Waterstones has reported a profit for the first time under the ownership of Russian businessman Alexander Mamut and direction of its m.d. James Daunt. Boosted by “better standards of bookselling”, the 270-store chain saw sales rise by 4% to £409.1m in the year to 30th April 2016, helping it achieve a profit-after tax of £17.6m, up from a loss of £4.7m a year earlier. Continue reading at 'The Bookseller'

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Waterstones three years from fiscal autonomy despite upturn, Daunt warns

Waterstones must sustain three years of consecutive profit-making before the company can “stand on its own two feet” and not rely on the “charity” of its owner, the chain’s m.d. James Daunt has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU exit could lead to 'catastrophic uncertainty'

The UK’s possible exit from the European Union, looking likely to be the subject of a summer referendum, would be a disaster for the book trade, according to industry figures such as Waterstones m.d. James Daunt, Bonnier Publishing c.e.o. Richard Johnson and Alma Books m.d. Alessandro Gallenzi. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp. Plummets as Profit Trails Estimates on Ad Revenue

Shares of News Corp., controlled by billionaire Rupert Murdoch, had a record decline after the publisher of the Wall Street Journal and New York Post reported fiscal second-quarter profit that missed analysts' estimates.Earnings, excluding some items, were 20 cents a share in the period ended... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marvellous medicine

At some point back in 2013, I asked a senior publisher if they had a contingency plan for a world with fewer high street bookshops. It was a period when ebook sales were growing ever bigger, taking chunks out of print fiction’s market share; Amazon was revelling in its recent victory over those... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt: 'Christmas is all to play for'

Waterstones is on course to make a small profit this year but it is “all to play for” over the next few weeks, the chain’s m.d James Daunt has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones reveals 'richly diverse' Book of the Year shortlist

The shortlist for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2015 has been revealed, featuring a list that would  "not have been produced by an algorithm,” the chain's m.d. James Daunt has said. The eight-strong selection nominated by Waterstones booksellers across the UK encompasses four novels, three... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thursday's child

In a week when The Bookseller reported that James Daunt was removing Kindle devices from most of Waterstones’ shelves, one wonders if the ever-pragmatic boss of the high street chain was simply making room for Super Thursday books. Last year the trade contrived to release 300 hardbacks... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Solid' Quarto half-year revenues rise 1%

The chief executive of The Quarto Group, Marcus Leaver, said the company achieved a “solid” set of results in the first half of the year, with revenues rising 1% compared to the same period a year earlier.   For the six months ending 30th June 2015, revenues totalled $66.2m (£42.4m), 1% higher... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookshop footfall gets a 'Watchman' boost

Booksellers say they are enjoying a “bumper summer”, with the release of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman encouraging people to “re-engage with books and bookshops again.” James Daunt, m.d of Waterstones, said the release of the William Heinnemann title last month had injected life into the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales rise but profits hit at CUP

Cambridge University Press saw sales rise 5% year-on-year at constant currency rates to £269m in the year ended April 2015, according to its latest annual report. The increase reflected "significant" expansion in its Education division, which was offset by lower increases in Academic. However... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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FT owners Pearson posts £115m loss

Publishing group Pearson - which is selling its Financial Times newspaper - reports a first half loss of £115m compared with £36m a year earlier. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt: 'higher energy booksellers' at Waterstones

In the last four years, Waterstones has changed to a company which is more customer-focused, with booksellers who have more flexible working hours, more accountability and higher energy, according to the chain’s m.d. James Daunt was speaking on the subject of the value of booksellers in a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones 'petitioned' to open in Welwyn Garden City

Waterstones is set to open a store in Welwyn Garden City next month after being “petitioned” by the town’s residents. The chain will open a branch in Howardsgate on 25th July, with a special Peter Rabbit family fun day. The shop will include a cafe as well as a stock of close to 20,000... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones' midnight openings for Harper Lee

Waterstones stores across the country will host midnight openings to celebrate the release of Harper Lee’s forthcoming novel Go Set a Watchman (William Heinemann), while the company’s flagship Piccadilly shop will host a festival. M.d. James Daunt has called the launch a "thrilling"... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German booksellers widen gap with online competition

German trade association Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels has released its economic data for 2014, revealing that sales of books and professional journals were down slightly by 2.2% to €9.32bn (£6.78bn). The trade association released the figures ahead of the annual industry conference in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Fifth of Time Inc.'s Ad Revenue Now Comes From Digital

Time Inc., the nation's largest magazine publisher, now generates 20% of its ad revenue through digital sales, the company said today.The company sold $73 million worth of digital ads in the first quarter, up 1% over the quarter a year earlier, Time Inc. executives told Wall Street investors as... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt: Waterstones shops should be 'more entrepreneurial'

Waterstones shops should be "significantly more entrepreneurial than they are at the moment", James Daunt has said. Speaking on a panel at the IPG spring conference about chain bookshops, alongside Blackwell's David Prescott, Daunt said that the "point at which we become more confident in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers encouraged by Waterstones revival

Waterstones has passionate booksellers who are “handselling again”, breaking début novelists and “building careers”, according to publishers.  Chief executives and sales directors of publishing houses have spoken to The Bookseller following the release of the chain retailer’s annual results (to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales rise, but Foyles dips into loss

Foyles reported a loss last year due to the closure of its Westfield White City branch and the move of its new flagship store, although sales were up 2.2%. Results for the year to 30th June 2014 show that the six-shop mini-chain slipped into a loss of £600,000, up from a profit of £100,000 in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The ebook is dead. Long live the ebook

Reports that physical books are gaining ground at the expense of digital are just plain wrongHas the ebook had its day? If you’ve skimmed a newspaper over the past month you could be forgiven for thinking just that. “The physical book market is making a comeback after years of decline,”... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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