Waterstones to open new store in Derry's Foyleside Shopping Centre

The planned opening of a Waterstones bookstore in Derry signifies a fight back for high-street retail after the Covid pandemic and against the growing popularity of e-books.

he bookshop chain announced that it was hiring staff ahead of opening a new store in Foyleside Shopping Centre.

Waterstones began in 1982 under the aegis of its founder, Tim Waterstone.

Over the decades that have followed, it has grown to become an icon of the British cultural landscape, employing over 3,000 booksellers across over 280 bookshops.

The company says that as the last surviving national bookshop chain it is “proud to have fought off the perceived threat of e-readers and online competition to begin a programme of active expansion”.

Recent years have seen fresh shops open and sites either move or be upgraded.

In July 2020 the closure of Eason came as a major blow to Foyleside Shopping Centre.

The company said Covid-19 had “exacerbated challenges already facing the business”.

At the end of 2020 it emerged that Debenhams which occupied a large section of the Foyleside shopping complex was to close.

It was described as "the darkest hour" facing retail in the city centre as the store was a "huge driver" of footfall.

Afterwards retail experts said city centres will need to be reimagined post-pandemic to become places not just for retail but also for socialising, culture, health, creativity and learning.

However, House of Fraser recently opened in units left vacant by the departure of Debenham’s and Sports Direct will soon open in the upper floors.

It’s understood that Waterstones will not be opening in the former Eason unit.

Nonetheless, its decision to open a store in Derry does represent somewhat of a resurgence for retail in Derry city centre after a disappointing 2020.