A nationwide book retailer is set to open a second branch within a shopping centre.
Customers will soon be able to find Waterstones at John Lewis in Bluewater, Greenhithe.
The news comes following a partnership between the two companies, where they launched a shop-in-shop at John Lewis’ Oxford Street flagship last October.
Following popular demand, it is launching two further Waterstones in its stores. This includes Bluewater on Friday, September 12 and in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, on Friday, August 29.
Both spaces will stock around 20,000 books, including children’s, nonfiction and fiction titles.
This will be the second Waterstones store for the shopping centre, with a larger unit located across two floors, next to Urban Outfitters.
The book seller, which has 10 stores across Kent, has recently secured £125m in funds to support its future growth.
Jointly arranged by Barclays UK Corporate Bank and HSBC UK Bank, it is made up of a £75m term loan and a £50m revolving credit facility.
Waterstones chief operating officer, Kate Skipper, said: “We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with John Lewis and unveiling two new Waterstones bookshops within John Lewis Bluewater and John Lewis Cheadle, as we aim to bring a bookshop to even more readers.
“Both shops will be fully ranged bookshops and staffed with expert Waterstones booksellers, adding personal reading recommendations and extensive bookshop ranges to these flagship John Lewis stores.”
John Lewis director of hospitality and services, Katie Papakonstantinou, added: “The response to our first bookshop in Oxford Street was overwhelmingly positive, proving that our customers love the experience of being able to browse a curated collection of books as part of their John Lewis visit.
“This is a key part of our strategy to invest in our existing stores, enhancing them as exciting destinations for our customers and showcasing the experiential role that physical retail can play.”
Bluewater has been contacted for a comment.
