Landlord locks out Waterstones Camden branch staff

Staff at Waterstones’ Camden branch were locked out of the store last week in an "unprecedented" action by its landlord during lease negotiations.

Customers turning up to the Camden High Street store on Thursday 9th January found it shuttered and closed for business.

Waterstones said negotiations had been taking place with the property's landlord but these were ended abruptly and staff were unable to enter the premises.

A spokesman for the firm said: "We have been in ongoing discussions with the landlord to renew the lease to our Camden shop. In the meantime, as is normal in such instances, we remained in occupation of the shop under a temporary agreement.

"The landlord brought this agreement to an immediate end; an unprecedented action in our experience. The consequence was that we could not enter the shop and therefore it could not open for trade."

They added permission was later granted to reopen the shop, which resumed trading the following day.

Landlord Concise Property Management declined to comment.