In addition to serving as the CEO of Paper Source, a stationery and gift shop, and Waterstones, the top bookseller in the UK, James Daunt is the CEO of Barnes & Noble, the largest retail bookseller in the world. At the moment, Mr. Daunt is in charge of over 600 Barnes & Noble bookstores and 125 Paper Source locations in the United States. He also manages over 300 bookshops operating under different brands in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, including Waterstones, Blackwell’s, Foyles, and Hatchards.
After deciding against pursuing a career in investment banking, Mr. Daunt began his journey in the bookselling profession, which he has been in for over thirty years. He established Daunt Books, his own bookstore, in London in 1990. Since then, this independent chain has grown to nine sites, most of which are in London, and Mr. Daunt is still the only owner.
After businessman Alexander Mamut acquired Waterstones in 2011, Mr. Daunt assumed the position of Managing Director. Waterstones saw a turnaround under his direction that made it possible for Elliott Advisors to purchase a majority ownership in the company in July 2018. After that, in August 2019, Elliott bought Barnes & Noble, and in May 2021, it bought Paper Source.
Mr. Daunt’s services to the publishing industry have garnered substantial attention, in addition to his notable achievements in the retail sector. He received two honors in 2022: a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2017.
Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, is where Mr. Daunt received his degree in history. In addition to balancing his career achievements with a happy personal life, he is married and has two daughters.
James Daunt is the CEO of Waterstones, the leading bookshop in the United Kingdom, Paper Source, a retailer that specializes in stationery and gifts, and Barnes & Noble, the largest retail bookseller in the world. Currently, Mr. Daunt is in charge of a vast network that crosses the entire country and consists of 125 Paper Source locations and more than 600 Barnes & Noble stores. In addition, he controls over 300 bookstores operating under multiple labels, such as Waterstones, Blackwell’s, Foyles, and Hatchards, which are dispersed throughout the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium. This extensive oversight demonstrates Mr. Daunt’s considerable impact on the international bookselling market.
