Waterstones boss attacks 'godawful uniformity' of chains such as WH Smith

James Daunt, under fire for opening unbranded branches in small towns, said his aim was to give managers autonomy and avoid ‘crushing consistency’

Waterstones managing director James Daunt has launched a scathing attack on high-street rivals, describing the uniformity of booksellers such as WH Smith as “crushing” and “godawful”.

Speaking at a media conference last week in London, Daunt said his decision to open unbranded branches of the bookshop chain was “to convince our own booksellers that they have the autonomy that they do have”.

Related: Are small, unbranded Waterstones stores really a threat to independent bookshops?

Continue reading...