Waterstones to move head office to Piccadilly

Waterstones is to move its head office to its flagship store in Piccadilly to be closer to its customers and publishers.

The move from its current location in Brentford is expected to take place in August this year after Westminster Council signs off the planning permission.

In August last year The Bookseller reported it was thought the chain’s new m.d. James Daunt wanted to move the head office to Waterstones' flagship Piccadilly store as early as possible.

Today, Daunt said: “The purpose of our  head office is to work in service to our bookshops and it has long been our view that the closer we are to the shop floor, the better we will be able to do this.

"The move allows us to share Piccadilly's iconic location and not only brings us closer to our customers and the books we sell to them, but also to publishers and many of our other bookshops.”

Waterstones said while the work involved in the move was “significant”, it was the company’s aim to do so with the minimal amount of disruption to the shop, which will lose no trading space  and “will benefit from new and improved staff facilities.”

Staff in the Solihull office will be unaffected, the chain confirmed.