Waterstones to open Stockbridge Books in Edinburgh

Waterstones is set to open another bookshop in Edinburgh in spring 2019, called Stockbridge Books.

The city's new store will be located in a new development at Raeburn Place in the Stockbridge area, a place the company’s chief executive James Daunt said the firm had “long wished” to have a presence in.

At the same time, the firm revealed its store in Aberdeen is moving from Union Street to the Bon Accord Shopping Centre and will open on 17th May 2018.

“Waterstones is delighted to be opening a bookshop in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge. It is an area of the city in which we have long wished to have a shop and Raeburn Place Foundation’s development offers a wonderful space in which to do so,” Daunt said. “It will be a tad smaller than our Princes Street flagship and, like every good bookshop, will draw its personality from its community and neighbouring shops. In consequence, we will be calling it Stockbridge Books and look forward greatly to its opening.”

Waterstones began opening unbranded stores named after the locations they are based in the summer of 2014, starting with The Southwold Bookshop and now has several in its portfolio.

A majority stake in Waterstones was sold to Elliott Advisors last month, with former owner Alexander Mamut retaining a minority stake in the retailer. At the time, Daunt said the retailer’s new parent should mean the 283-store chain will grow a lot faster and continue to open fresh stores.