BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Amid a challenging retail climate, one familiar sight on British high streets is not just surviving but thriving. Waterstones, the country’s largest bookshop chain, is finding renewed momentum as young adults reach for books as a wholesome alternative to endless scrolling. CEO James Daunt says the stores’ success comes down to creating “a place which is an enjoyable and effective way to buy books.” With 320 UK locations and heritage names like Foyles, Hatchards, and Blackwell’s under its wing, the chain is proving that brick-and-mortar bookshops can still inspire in a digital age. A cultural nudge from BookTok One factor behind the surge is the influence of social media trends. BookTok, which is the community of readers sharing recommendations on TikTok, has nudged countless younger adults back to paperbacks. “They want to do something not staring at a screen and relatively inexpensive,” Daunt explains, adding that once people begin collecting books, “they just buy more.” He’s quick to note that this isn’t just about TikTok itself but about a wider craving: “This is about people wanting to read and talk about books.” Whether it’s romance, fantasy, or the newer “romantasy,” certain genres have caught imaginations and sparked waves of readers back into shops. Fiction on the rise Figures support the trend. Fiction sales across the UK jumped more than 12 percent last year, according to the Publishers Association, and Waterstones reports that the boom has carried into 2025. This growth has helped balance out dips in nonfiction and children’s books, even as overall print sales declined slightly while digital formats climbed by 17 percent. Parents also remain a driving force, bringing children into stores to nurture a love of reading. Waterstones has leaned into that role, redesigning shops with cafés and displays curated by local booksellers to make them welcoming community spaces. More doors opening Rather than retreating, Waterstones is expanding, adding 10 new stores a year in the UK. Some of the latest are inside John Lewis department stores, in places like Cheadle and Bluewater, following the success of its Oxford Street branch. The company has also opened outlets in Next stores, aiming to meet shoppers where they already are. Importantly, the chain has held on to locations in towns where other retailers pulled out. Daunt points to Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria as an example, where Waterstones stayed even when others left, and is now seeing new energy in the community. “If you stay in these places the pendulum does swing back,” he says. A transatlantic chapter Waterstones is also part of a larger story. Its parent group owns Barnes & Noble in the United States, where Daunt also serves as CEO. There, the rebound is even stronger after years of heavy losses in independent bookshops. Barnes & Noble now plans to open 60 new stores annually, drawing on lessons learned in the UK about empowering booksellers and building inviting spaces. A wholesome escape At its heart, the growth of Waterstones tells a simple, reassuring story: people are still drawn to the tactile, communal joy of books. For younger adults in particular, reading has become both an affordable escape and a way to connect offline. In a world saturated with screens, it’s a trend that feels not just wholesome but hopeful.The post UK-based bookshop Waterstones grows as young readers rediscover the joy of books first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.