Waterstones proves that friendly staff and curated branches can go a long way. But things didn’t always look so rosy for the bookseller https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/04/19/waterstones-shows-there-is-still-life-in-the-british-high-street?taid=69e610940ff52100016b8382&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=voante