Is Waterstones Owned by Amazon?

Waterstones is a UK-based bookseller that has been in business since 1982. Since then, it has grown to become one of the leading booksellers in the UK and Ireland, with over 300 stores in the two countries. It also has an online store and offers an extensive range of books, magazines, stationery and other products.

Despite its success, there have been rumours over the years that Waterstones is owned by Amazon. This is because Amazon acquired Waterstones’ rival, The Book Depository, in 2011. However, this is not true.

Waterstones is actually owned by a private equity firm called Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited. Elliott Advisors purchased Waterstones from HMV Group plc in 2011 for £53 million. The company has since invested heavily in Waterstones’ infrastructure, allowing it to expand its stores and online presence.

Waterstones also works closely with Amazon on certain initiatives. For example, Waterstones sells Kindle e-readers in its stores and customers can purchase books from Amazon’s Kindle Store via their local Waterstones store or website. This helps Waterstones to tap into a wider audience of potential customers.

In conclusion, it is clear that despite rumours to the contrary, Waterstones is not owned by Amazon and instead belongs to Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited. However, the two companies do work together on certain initiatives which allows both businesses to benefit from each other’s success.

Is Waterstones Owned by Amazon?

No – Waterstones is not owned by Amazon but instead by private equity firm Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited. Although they do collaborate on certain initiatives which allows them both to benefit from each other’s success.