Don’t judge a book by its cover…

“Waterstones has crept in under the guise of a nice, independent book store, which it simply isn’t. Ultimately it’s the dishonesty I really dislike”

At a time when business rates are due to soar (sorry, ‘phased in nicely over the next five years’!), there is a great deal of sympathy out there for the independent High Street shops, who are struggling to survive against the onslaught of online retailing (for whom rates are forecast to decline…but that’s a blog for another day!)

So, the notion of national chains masquerading as independents to curry sympathy with shoppers is viewed with some distaste.

Waterstones has now launched three ‘unbranded’ stores; i.e. book shops which look like they are independent, and carry independent-sounding names…apart from a small handwritten notice in the window revealing they are actually run by Waterstones.

At present, these are:

• Southwold, Suffolk
• Rye, East Sussex
• Harpenden, Hertfordshire

Southwold – the latest ‘independent’ battleground

The nub of the argument against the latest ‘independent’ shop to open, in Southwold, is:

• National chains are pushing up rents, thereby increasing business rates
• Business rates due to rise by average of almost 200% in the area over the next 5 years

This row echoes the furore which greeted Tesco’s decision in 2013 to open a chain of coffee shops under the brandname of Harris + Hoole….which many customers assumed to be independent.

The view from Waterstones

The MD of Waterstones is James Daunt, founder of Daunt Books, an independent chain London-based chain….so he, of all people, should be aware of the sensitivities involved.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he noted:

“The vast majority [of people] have welcomed them greatly. They are very small shops in towns that had independents and very much wish they still had independents but don’t.

“We can’t open up great big Waterstones here but we can open up small ones. We are coming into quite sensitive high streets with predominantly independent retailers on them and we wish to behave as they do.”

Ultimately, Daunt wants all Waterstones stores to act as independents.

Trojan horse or Business angels?

On the one hand, national chains can afford to pay High Street rates and rents – without them, we would be left with just charity shops, betting shops, and estate agents.

However, is it ethical to deliberately masquerade as an independent to curry favour with the locals?

On balance, I’d welcome the move – far better to have a fully-occupied High Street than a wasteland, and once you know that a store isn’t really an independent, then what does it matter?