A crafty move by Waterstones shows that readers are keen to buy into the story of ‘small beer’ independent bookshops

You can’t judge a bookshop by its cover, writes Conor Brophy

Waterstones chief executive James Daunt

You can’t judge a bookshop by its cover. Waterstones chief executive James Daunt learned that last week, as he was called upon to explain the retailer’s new stealth tactic.

Waterstones has recently opened three new shops in Britain: Southwold Books in Suffolk, Harpenden Books in Hertfordshire, and The Rye Bookshop in East Sussex. While they share a common owner, none of them shares its name. They are instead designed to look like independent ...