Waterstones 'local' bookstore meets opposition from residents
UK bookstore chain Waterstones is under fire for a new location called Southwold Books (named after its location in Southwold, Suffolk) that the managing director of the company calls a 鈥渜uintessentially local鈥� bookstore but that some Southwold residents are complaining will hurt actual local businesses.聽
Waterstones opened the new location earlier this month, according to . Bookseller writer Lisa Campbell wrote that the new store is 鈥渋n the spirit of an independent bookshop.鈥�
However, the Southwold & Reydon Society, which 鈥減rotect[s] the character and amenities of this unique and beautiful part of Suffolk,鈥� according to its , isn鈥檛 happy with the new bookstore. John Perkins, secretary of the society, told the , 鈥淚t's dishonest, because it's a national chain pretending not to be a national chain, but trying to look like a local shop. When chain stores arrive you get a feeding frenzy of landlords putting up rents which drives out local independent retailers.鈥�
The new Waterstones is the only store completely centered on books in the area, and Waterstones regional retail manager Matt Gretton told the BBC they were just meeting demand for a bookshop in the area.聽
鈥淲hen we were at a literary festival here last year, it was local people telling us they wanted a dedicated bookshop again,鈥� he said.
