Waterstone's to lay off 200 staff

Waterstone's, owned by HMV, will announce today that it is laying off about 200 staff, the Guardian newspaper reports. Job losses at the retailer, which employs some 4,500 staff, are thought to be linked to a new centralised book distribution hub that is set to open in Burton-on-Trent, the paper says. Store managers will place their orders through the hub, rather than from individual suppliers and receive a single delivery, rather than many smaller ones. As a result, the company believes it can cut staff numbers in the stores. A spokesman for the company, however, refused to comment.

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