Topping to open 4,000 sq ft branch in Edinburgh

Independent bookseller Topping & Company will open a new bookshop in central Edinburgh in 2019, with the Topping family saying the shop will be “the largest independent bookshop to open in the country for decades”.

The new 4,000 sq ft bookshop will be at 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh, a Grade A-listed William Playfair building, and will host events with novelists, politicians, comedians, chefs, and more, with the opening programme to be announced later this year.

Robert and Louise Topping opened their first bookshop in Ely, Cambridgeshire in 2002, followed by a Bath bookshop in 2007 and a St Andrews branch in 2014. Their children, Hugh and Cornelia Topping, who were just 11 and eight when the first bookshop opened, will be heading the Edinburgh project along with Duncan Furness, currently at the St Andrews store.

Hugh Topping told The Bookseller: “It will be the largest independent bookshop to open in the country for decades. The new bookshop will be a striking addition to Edinburgh’s literary scene with handcrafted bookcases, Topping & Company’s signature rolling library ladders, and space for 70,000 titles on the shelves. It will offer an exceptional browsing experience, with complimentary pots of fresh tea and coffee and plenty of friendly, bookish advice.”

The new Edinburgh bookshop will open in late summer or early autumn. Readers can follow the progress of building a new bookshop by subscribing to updates at www.toppingbooks.co.uk.