Waterstones eyes store closures following social media coronavirus backlash

Earlier today, we reported that many Brits were not happy with Waterstones amid the coronavirus outbreak.

CEO James Daunt was accused of forcing staff to come to work and not providing hand sanitiser, wipes, disinfectant etc. A ‘boycott Waterstones’ campaign then began to do the rounds on social media.

The retailer has now announced that its stores will close from tomorrow. “These are desperate times,” said Gaunt. “Now we work on how best to bolster our online operation and how best to sustain the business until such time as we are able to open our doors again.”

Employees have taken to Twitter to welcome the decision. “Thank you twitterverse for taking a stand and showing #Waterstones that putting all us staff at risk in such a difficult time is not good, From tomorrow, closed! the power of the internet is astounding,” commented @ugly_minds.

“Palpable relief heard from the coworkers I have contacted to give the good news. I'm only regretful that it had to get to this point in the first place, but again, thank you everybody for your support. You made this happen!” said @kk_liber.

Primark

Also today, Primark made the decision to close its 189 UK stores. Its parent company has also temporarily closed stores in Europe and cancelled all future orders from suppliers.

Primark boss Paul Marchant said it faces "unprecedented, and frankly unimaginable times".