Private Limited Company

WATERSTONES BOOKSELLERS LIMITED

ActiveCompany 00610095United Kingdom
Bulk record snapshot1 OCT 2026Source details →

Registered office

203-206 PICCADILLY, LONDON, W1J 9HD
Incorporated22 August 1958
Company age68 years

TXT In plain English

Company description

BritDB description

WATERSTONES BOOKSELLERS LIMITED is a UK company whose Companies House status is “Active” and whose registered company type is “Private Limited Company”. Incorporated on 22 August 1958; registered for 68 years; registered office reported in LONDON. Its primary declared activity is 47610 · Retail sale of books in specialised stores.

This BritDB profile also contains linked public records: 3 PSC records, 11 trade marks, 9 procurement records, 2 waste registrations. This description is assembled from public data, is not a reliability assessment, and should be checked against the cited sources before a legally significant decision.

Prepared from public dataChecked 10 October 2026 · 12 profile sources connected
How this description is built →
i

Web facts are never added from a name match alone. Internet enrichment requires the exact Companies House ID in Wikidata, and ambiguous results are excluded.

01 Company overview

Identity and registration

Snapshot 1 October 2026
Official name
WATERSTONES BOOKSELLERS LIMITED
Company number
00610095
Company type
Private Limited Company
Status
Active
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Dissolution date
Not supplied
Accounts category
FULL
Mortgage charges
30 total · 1 outstanding · 29 satisfied
Limited partnership members
0 general · 0 limited
i

A registered office is not necessarily a trading location. The address is reproduced from the Companies House bulk record and should be interpreted in that legal context.

02 Filing dates

Accounts and statements

Companies House
AccountsBulk record

Last accounts made up to

3 May 2025

Next accounts due

31 January 2027
Confirmation statementBulk record

Last statement made up to

26 August 2026

Next statement due

9 September 2027
Filing source and official link →

BritDB does not infer overdue status when the source does not state it.

03 Workforce reporting

Gender pay gap

Reporting year 2025–2026
Employer size1000 to 4999
Median hourly gap5.1%
Mean hourly gap16.0%
Submitted31 March 2026
Submission deadline5 April 2026
Submission timingSubmitted by deadline
Median bonus gap
20.0%
Mean bonus gap
36.0%
Women receiving bonus
10.9%
Men receiving bonus
17.9%
Women in top quartile
46.2%
Women in upper middle quartile
63.6%
Women in lower middle quartile
69.1%
Women in lower quartile
75.4%
Earlier reporting years (7)
  1. 1000 to 499910.5% median hourly gap
  2. 1000 to 49999.0% median hourly gap
  3. 1000 to 49997.0% median hourly gap
  4. 250 to 49911.8% median hourly gap
  5. 1000 to 49997.3% median hourly gap
  6. 1000 to 49994.7% median hourly gap
  7. 1000 to 49994.5% median hourly gap
i

Positive gaps mean men were paid more; negative gaps mean women were paid more. These figures are employer-reported and describe the workforce distribution, not equal pay for the same job. The company link uses the exact Companies House number supplied by the service.

04 Supplier payments

Payment practices and performance

Period to 2 May 2026
Average time to pay68.0 days
Paid within 30 days24.0%
Paid after 60 days66.0%
Not paid within terms8.0%
Reporting period
4 November 2025 – 2 May 2026
Filed
26 May 2026
Shortest standard term
0 days
Longest standard term
90 days
E-invoicing offered
Yes
Supply-chain finance
Not offered
Payment codes
No
Construction retentions
No qualifying construction contracts
Complete reported payment fields
Policy regime
Regime-3
Financial period started
4 May 2025
Qualifying contracts
Yes
Payments made
Yes
Invoice value paid within 30 days
£65,626,937
Invoice value paid in 31–60 days
£30,285,436
Invoice value paid after 60 days
£165,511,741
Invoice value paid outside agreed terms
£26,846,787
Invoices paid in 31–60 days
10.0%
Invoices unpaid due to dispute
0.0%
Maximum contractual payment period
90 days
Supplier-list charging policy
No
Supplier-list charges made
No
Reported terms and dispute process
  1. Standard payment terms

    The standard payment terms for the supply of books is 60 days from the end of the month in which the invoice is received , with an additional 7 working days to ensure funds have cleared through BACs. However there are a number of suppliers who fall outside the standard terms.

    The company does not have standard payment terms for the supply of non book products for resale. The most frequest terms for non coffee products are 60 days from the end of month, with payment made on the next working day. The most frequent terms for coffee projects is 30 days

    For trade purchases of goods not for resale and services, the company has standard written terms of purchase, which can be found here:-à, and which contain standard terms of payment.  However, in certain circumstances, a supplier will seek to impose its own payment terms, and in other circumstances, a bespoke contract will be agreed.  The most frequently used payment terms used for suppliers to the company of goods not for resale and services sold in its shops is 30 days from the date of the invoice.

  2. Dispute resolution process

    Resolution of disputes will be handled on a specfic case by case basis. We always see to resolve disputes as soon as possible.

Earlier payment reports (11 shown)
  1. 69.0 average days to pay9.0% outside terms
  2. 69.0 average days to pay11.0% outside terms
  3. 69.0 average days to pay10.0% outside terms
  4. 73.0 average days to pay14.0% outside terms
  5. 76.0 average days to pay13.0% outside terms
  6. 77.0 average days to pay12.0% outside terms
  7. 75.0 average days to pay14.0% outside terms
  8. 73.0 average days to pay13.0% outside terms
  9. 77.0 average days to pay14.0% outside terms
  10. 84.0 average days to pay13.0% outside terms
  11. 89.0 average days to pay16.0% outside terms
i

This is a company-submitted statutory disclosure, not a credit rating. BritDB preserves the reporting period and links the report only through the Companies House number supplied by the official service. Percentages describe payments made during that period and may change in later reports.

05 Supply-chain transparency

Modern slavery statement

Statement year 2025
Organisation
WATERSTONES BOOKSELLERS LIMITED
Group submission
No
Statement period
1 May 2024 – 30 April 2025
Approved
30 September 2025
Sectors
Durable consumer goods, including electronics and appliances, home furnishings and other accessories
✓

Organisation structure

Covered in the statement

✓

Policies

Covered in the statement

✓

Risk assessment

Covered in the statement

✓

Due diligence

Covered in the statement

✓

Training

Covered in the statement

✓

Goals and KPIs

Not reported as covered

Full statement information supplied to the registry
Reported turnover band
Over £500 million
Years producing statements
More than 5 years
ILO indicators included
Not answered
Registry record updated
1 October 2025
i

A registry entry records what the organisation declared in its statement. It is not an independent audit. Group statements can cover several companies; BritDB preserves each exact source-supplied company-number link and excludes approver names and email addresses.

06 Data protection

ICO fee-payer registration

Candidate match
Tier 3

Waterstones Booksellers Limited

Registration Z5320847

Registered from
2 April 2001
Current end date
1 April 2027
Trading names
Southwold Books, Hodges Figgis, The Rye Bookshop, The Deal Bookshop, The Weybridge Bookshop, Hatchards, Waterstones
!

This is a candidate association, not an official Companies House link. The ICO file supplies no company number. The organisation name and postcode uniquely matched this company in the current snapshot. BritDB excludes all DPO contact fields and does not publish unmatched personal entries.

07 Public procurement

Contracts Finder awards

Exact GB-COH links
active · 11 March 2025

Legal Publications Print & eBook 25/26 Call Offs

Ministry of Justice · ocds-b5fd17-445845f0-ea11-496f-94f2-8965d5f55c6e

Supplier named in award
Waterstones Booksellers Limited
Award value
£435,463,044
Contract period
1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026
Published
2 April 2025
Procedure
Call-off from a framework agreement
Main CPV
22120000
Source release ID
ocds-b5fd17-445845f0-ea11-496f-94f2-8965d5f55c6e-2025-04-02T10:33:01+01:00
active · 7 November 2024

376E_24 Digital Library Content and Print Books

Espo · ocds-b5fd17-f8e49521-bcfd-491b-9baf-987e1620e8ac

Supplier named in award
Waterstones Booksellers Limited
Award value
£24,000,000
Contract period
1 November 2024 – 31 October 2028
Published
21 November 2024
Procedure
Open procedure (above threshold)
Main CPV
22110000
Source release ID
ocds-b5fd17-f8e49521-bcfd-491b-9baf-987e1620e8ac-2024-11-21T11:55:24Z
active · 1 April 2024

Legal Publications Print & eBook 24-25 Call Offs

Ministry of Justice · ocds-b5fd17-93635f09-69f7-4fed-be5d-8e6fafb773ed

Supplier named in award
WATERSTONES BOOKSELLERS LIMITED
Award value
£4,462,373
Contract period
1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025
Published
25 July 2024
Procedure
Call-off from a framework agreement
Main CPV
22120000
Source release ID
ocds-b5fd17-93635f09-69f7-4fed-be5d-8e6fafb773ed-2024-07-25T22:55:00+01:00
active · 1 April 2024

Legal Publications Print & eBook 24-25 Call Offs

Ministry of Justice · ocds-b5fd17-93635f09-69f7-4fed-be5d-8e6fafb773ed

Supplier named in award
WATERSTONES BOOKSELLERS LIMITED
Award value
£4,462,373
Contract period
1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025
Published
25 July 2024
Procedure
Call-off from a framework agreement
Main CPV
22120000
Source release ID
ocds-b5fd17-93635f09-69f7-4fed-be5d-8e6fafb773ed-2024-07-25T22:55:00+01:00
active · 2 February 2024

Legal Publications Subscriptions

Ministry of Justice · ocds-b5fd17-ac9455c6-3e83-4562-8c39-eb3bc64c5adb

Supplier named in award
Waterstones Booksellers Limited
Award value
£72,831
Contract period
2 February 2024 – 31 March 2024
Published
14 March 2024
Procedure
Call-off from a framework agreement
Main CPV
22120000
Source release ID
ocds-b5fd17-ac9455c6-3e83-4562-8c39-eb3bc64c5adb-2024-03-14T14:23:34Z
active · 8 December 2023

Study Resource Card

UNIVERSITY OF DERBY · ocds-b5fd17-61465a8d-bc8b-40d0-8e9c-14695b67ad29

Supplier named in award
Waterstones Booksellers Ltd
Award value
£800,000
Contract period
8 December 2023 – 31 August 2024
Published
8 December 2023
Procedure
Other - Dispensation
Main CPV
22000000
Source release ID
ocds-b5fd17-61465a8d-bc8b-40d0-8e9c-14695b67ad29-2023-12-08T10:58:52Z
active · 1 April 2023

Legal Publications Print & eBook Call Offs 2023/24

Ministry of Justice · ocds-b5fd17-76045526-84f4-49a0-9fb5-21e94e412d33

Supplier named in award
WATERSTONES BOOKSELLERS LIMITED
Award value
£5,050,000
Contract period
1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024
Published
25 April 2023
Procedure
Call-off from a framework agreement
Main CPV
22120000
Source release ID
ocds-b5fd17-76045526-84f4-49a0-9fb5-21e94e412d33-2023-04-25T09:42:45+01:00
i

The supplier link is exact, but the award remains buyer-published procurement data. BritDB requires the GB-COH identifier supplied in the Contracts Finder OCDS release and does not infer suppliers from similar names.

TM UK trade marks

Exact owner-name matches

11 records
Registered · UK00002639004

BOOKCLOUD

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 9,16,35,38,41,42,45

Filed / designated
19 October 2012
Valid until / renewal due
19 October 2022
Open BritTM →
Registered · UK00002516457

WATERSTONE'S DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 9,16,35,41,43

Filed / designated
21 May 2009
Valid until / renewal due
21 May 2019
Open BritTM →
Registered · UK00002486259

The Big Book Bank

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 16,41

Filed / designated
29 April 2008
Valid until / renewal due
29 April 2018
Open BritTM →
Registered · UK00002436907

WATERSTONE'S

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 9,16,35,41,43

Filed / designated
27 October 2006
Valid until / renewal due
27 October 2026
Open BritTM →
Registered · UK00002437016

W WATERSTONE'S

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 9,16,35,41,43

Filed / designated
27 October 2006
Valid until / renewal due
27 October 2026
Open BritTM →
Registered · UK00002181547

WATERSTONE'S BOOKSEARCH

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 41

Filed / designated
7 November 1998
Valid until / renewal due
7 November 2018
Open BritTM →
Registered · UK00002020235

DILLONS

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 9,16

Filed / designated
11 May 1995
Valid until / renewal due
11 May 2025
Open BritTM →
Registered · UK00002020257

HATCHARDS

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 9,16,42

Filed / designated
11 May 1995
Valid until / renewal due
11 May 2025
Open BritTM →
Registered · UK00001466247

W WATERSTONE'S BOOKSELLERS

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 16

Filed / designated
4 June 1991
Valid until / renewal due
4 June 2018
Open BritTM →
Withdrawn · UK00003212557

CAFE W

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 43

Filed / designated
14 February 2017
Valid until / renewal due
Not supplied
Open BritTM →
Expired · UK00002470272

BOOKCLOUD

Owner Waterstones Booksellers Limited · classes 9,16,35,38,41,42,45

Filed / designated
23 October 2007
Valid until / renewal due
23 October 2017
Open BritTM →
!

This is an exact normalised company-name match, not a registrar-confirmed ownership link. Another legal entity can have the same or a very similar name. UKIPO data is a historical 2018 snapshot; verify the owner and current status before relying on it.

08 Ownership and control

People with significant control

Snapshot 5 October 2026
Current records2
Ceased records1
PSC source and official link →
Corporate entityCurrent

Book Retail Bidco Limited

  • Owns 75% or more of shares
  • Controls 75% or more of voting rights
  • Can appoint or remove directors
Country registered
England
Legal authority
Companies Act 2006
Legal form
Private Company Limited By Shares
Place registered
Companies House
Registration number
11284041
Notified
1 June 2018
IndividualCurrent

Mr Paul Elliot SingerSee 12 companies with this PSC name →

  • Can appoint or remove directors
  • Can appoint or remove directors (as a firm)
Nationality
American
Country of residence
United States
Notified
1 June 2018
Identity verification details
  • Appointment Verification End On: 9999-12-31T00:00:00Z
  • Appointment Verification Start On: 2026-08-04T00:00:00Z
Corporate entityCeased

Waterstones Holdings Limited

  • Owns 75% or more of shares
  • Controls 75% or more of voting rights
  • Can appoint or remove directors
Legal authority
England And Wales
Legal form
Company Limited By Shares
Notified
6 April 2016
Ceased
1 June 2018
i

PSC records are company-filed public-register information. When the exact same displayed individual name occurs at multiple companies, BritDB offers a non-indexed cross-reference page. It is a name match only, not proof that the records describe the same person. Service addresses and partial dates of birth are deliberately omitted.

09 Charity register

Charity Commission links

Snapshot 29 September 2026
CCEW

No exact company-number link in this snapshot

The Charity Commission extract did not explicitly associate this Companies House number with a charity. BritDB does not use a name-only match to fill the gap.

i

This company-level check covers the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Links are accepted only when the official extract supplies this exact company registration number. Scottish charities now have separate OSCR profiles, but OSCR’s bulk fields do not provide a Companies House number, so BritDB does not infer a company link.

10 Northern Ireland charity register

CCNI exact company links

Snapshot 29 September 2026
CCNI

No unambiguous company-number link found

The CCNI source number did not resolve uniquely to this Companies House record. BritDB did not use a name or address match.

i

CCNI publishes company numbers without a jurisdiction prefix. BritDB links only when the plausible padded UK and NI candidates resolve to exactly one Companies House company.

11 Sanctions screening

UK Sanctions List

Report 8 October 2026
UKSL

No exact business-registration-number link found

The imported UK Sanctions List did not supply this Companies House number as a UK-linked business identifier. BritDB did not attempt a name-only match.

!

No exact link is not sanctions clearance. UK restrictions can apply through ownership or control even where an entity is not separately named. Always use the current official list and obtain appropriate advice for a legally significant decision.

12 Public procurement

Find a Tender links

Snapshot 29 September 2026
i

These links use only the GB-COH identifier supplied in the procurement record. A company may have other public-sector work that is absent, older, below publication thresholds or published without a Companies House identifier.

13 Environmental register

Environment Agency waste registrations

Snapshot 29 September 2026
i

This is a privacy-reduced, exact-company subset. The full official register also includes sole traders and applicants without a matching Companies House number. Check the current Environment Agency register before relying on registration status.

14 Nature of business

Standard Industrial Classification

SIC 2007

15 Connected public record

Checks beyond the company register

Partial coverage
CCEW

Charity Commission

0 exact company-number links.

Checked
CCNI

Northern Ireland charities

0 unambiguous company-number links.

Checked
FTS

Public contracts

2 procurement processes linked by exact GB-COH identifier.

Checked
EA

Waste register

2 exact company-number registrations.

Checked
GZ

Corporate notices

The Gazette is not yet connected.

Not checked
UKSL

UK Sanctions List

No exact business-registration-number link in this report.

Checked
!

A checked source with no exact link is not a clean bill of health. Unchecked sources remain unknown, while sanctions may also apply through ownership or control of a listed person or entity.

16 Record timeline

Dates in the bulk record

5 events
  1. Detected change

    Confirmation statement due date: 2026-10-14 → 2027-09-09

  2. Confirmation statement

    Latest confirmation statement made up to this date

  3. Accounts

    Latest accounts made up to this date

  4. Company name

    Previous name: WATERSTONE'S BOOKSELLERS LIMITED

  5. Incorporation

    Company incorporated

17 Provenance

Sources for this profile

12 sources
CH
Companies House Free Company Data Product

Identity, address, status, dates, SIC, previous names and mortgage totals.

Snapshot 1 October 2026→
GPG
UK Gender Pay Gap Service

Annual employer reports linked by the exact source-supplied Companies House number.

8 reporting years→
PPR
UK Payment Practices Reporting

Statutory supplier-payment reports linked by the exact source-supplied Companies House number.

12 reports shown→
MSS
Modern Slavery Statement Registry

Annual statement summaries linked by exact source company number.

1 linked statement→
ICO
ICO Register of Fee Payers

Privacy-reduced candidate associations based on a unique exact name-and-postcode match.

1 candidate record→
CF
Contracts Finder OCDS

Historic awards linked by exact source-supplied GB-COH company identifier.

7 exact awards→
PSC
Companies House PSC snapshot

Current and ceased significant-control records joined by exact company number.

Snapshot 5 October 2026→
CCEW
Charity Commission Register of Charities

Daily England and Wales extract matched only by the official company registration number.

Snapshot 29 September 2026→
CCNI
Northern Ireland Register of Charities

Daily CCNI export with company links only where the source number resolves unambiguously.

0 exact links→
UKSL
UK Sanctions List

Complete FCDO list checked by exact UK-linked business registration number.

Checked 8 October 2026→
FTS
Find a Tender OCDS data

Procurement parties checked only through exact GB-COH identifiers.

2 exact processes→
EA
Environment Agency waste register

Licensed subset linked only by exact Companies House number.

2 exact registrations→
+
Other registers

Financial regulation and licences.

Not checked yet—

Companies House, Charity Commission, OSCR and UK Sanctions List information is public-register data. BritDB reproduces and organises it with source-specific limits; official external links are kept on the dedicated source pages.