Independent alternatives to Waterstones, and the catch nobody mentions
The catch first: the famous names people switch to are not alternatives at all. Foyles, Blackwell’s and Hatchards are all owned by Waterstones, which is itself owned by Elliott, a US investment fund. The genuine alternative to Waterstones is the UK’s network of more than a thousand independent bookshops, and the best one is whichever is nearest you. Ten of the most loved are below, and the way to find yours is one search. Last verified 31 August 2026.
Find an independent bookshop near you
The shops that look like alternatives and aren’t
| Shop | Who actually owns it |
|---|---|
| Foyles | Bought by Waterstones in 2018, so Elliott |
| Blackwell's | Bought by Waterstones in 2022, ending 143 years of family ownership |
| Hatchards | Waterstones, so Elliott |
| Waterstones itself | Elliott Advisors, a US investment fund, since 2018 |
We’ve written up the full story of how one fund quietly bought most of British bookselling, and checked every online alternative against its ownership too.
Ten genuinely independent bookshops worth crossing town for
These are examples, not a ranking: proof of what the independent shelf looks like at its best, from a national network of over a thousand shops. Every one is independently run, in the plain meaning of the words: the people who own it are in the building.
1. Daunt Books, London
Six shops of travel-writing heaven in Edwardian oak galleries, owned personally by James Daunt, who by day runs Waterstones for Elliott, and keeps his own shops independent. The strangest footnote in British bookselling.
2. Topping & Company, Bath, Ely, St Andrews and Edinburgh
Family-run, floor-to-ceiling ladders, thousands of signed editions, and staff who bring you coffee while you browse.
3. Barter Books, Alnwick
A secondhand cathedral inside a Victorian railway station, run by the couple who founded it, and the shop that rediscovered the Keep Calm and Carry On poster.
4. Mr B's Emporium, Bath
Founder-run and famous for reading spa gift experiences: an hour with a bookseller who then picks your next year of reading.
5. P&G Wells, Winchester
Britain's oldest bookseller, trading from the same street since the eighteenth century, a few doors from where Jane Austen lived.
6. Book Lovers Bookshop, Edinburgh
The UK's first bricks-and-mortar romance bookshop, crowdfunded into existence by its readers, not yet two years old, and the reigning Independent Bookshop of the Year.
7. Word on the Water, London
A bookshop on a hundred-year-old Dutch barge on Regent's Canal, with jazz on the roof in summer.
8. Persephone Books, Bath
Publisher and bookshop in one: rediscovered twentieth-century writing, mostly by women, in its trademark grey jackets.
9. Gay's the Word, London
The UK's oldest LGBTQ+ bookshop, community-run in spirit since 1979 and community-saved more than once.
10. The one near you, wherever that is
Around 1,052 independent bookshops trade in the UK at the last Booksellers Association count, up from a low of 867 in 2016, with 45 new ones opening in the latest counted year. The odds one of them is near you are better than they’ve been in a decade. Find yours.
What about buying online?
If you can’t get to a shop, the online routes that genuinely reach independents exist, and several famous ones genuinely don’t. We’ve checked every major online alternative against who actually owns it, including the ones owned by Amazon, on our full comparison. The short version: a bookshop’s own website first, then Bookshop.org or Hive.
Where we fit
Highstreett is a book search engine: describe the book you want in your own words, built so your money reaches independent bookshops. And when what you want is the shop itself, the shelves and the person behind the counter, that’s the search we started with.
Describe the book you’re after
Questions
Is Foyles independent?
No. Foyles was bought by Waterstones in 2018, and Waterstones has been owned since 2018 by Elliott, a US investment fund. The same is true of Blackwell's, bought in 2022, and Hatchards. Switching from Waterstones to any of them moves your money to the same owner.
How many independent bookshops are there in the UK?
Around 1,052 at the Booksellers Association's most recent count, well above the low of 867 in 2016. Numbers dipped slightly in the latest year, but 45 new independent bookshops still opened, so the sector is holding its recovery.
Are independent bookshops dying?
No, though they're under pressure. The UK count recovered from 867 shops in 2016 to over a thousand today, new shops keep opening, including the crowdfunded Book Lovers Bookshop in Edinburgh, which just won Independent Bookshop of the Year 2026, and financial pressure rather than demand is the sector's stated concern.
What's the best alternative to Waterstones?
The independent bookshop nearest you, because the shop keeps its whole margin and the recommendation comes from a person. If distance is the problem, buy from an independent's own website, or through Bookshop.org or Hive, both checked against their ownership on our online comparison.