Forget doomscrolling: Gen Z is binge-reading. Waterstones just posted a 5% revenue rise, powered by a surge in young adults turning to books as an antidote to screens. Fiction sales jumped 12.2% in the UK last year (Publishers Association), with romance, “romantasy” and fantasy leading the charge. The cultural driver? TikTok’s BookTok phenomenon and IRL book clubs reshaping how reading travels through social circles. For a retailer long considered a relic of the high street, this youth-fuelled revival has become a strategic lifeline.

📊 Supporting Stats

UK fiction sales +12.2% in 2024, despite overall print market falling 1% (Publishers Association).
Digital book sales +17% (Waterstones).
Waterstones: 320+ stores, expanding by 10 new locations annually, including inside John Lewis and Next.
Sister brand Barnes & Noble planning 60 new US stores a year (Guardian).
Healthcare squeeze context: Waterstones still growing footfall by making stores destinations (cafés, curated staff picks).

🧠 Decision: Did It Work?
Yes - commercially, culturally and strategically. Waterstones has managed what many legacy retailers couldn’t: turning a youth-led social trend into sustained in-store sales. By leaning into BookTok without commodifying it, the chain feels authentic to young readers, not opportunistic. The move into concessions at John Lewis and Next also puts Waterstones in high-footfall, lifestyle-led locations that align with how Gen Z shops.

📌 Key Takeouts

What happened: BookTok and a screen-fatigued Gen Z sparked a 12% jump in fiction sales, fuelling Waterstones’ 5% revenue growth.
What worked: Leveraging a digital trend but keeping discovery physical - cafés, curated recs, midnight launches.
What didn’t: Children’s (-2.8%) and non-fiction sales remain weak, showing limits to the boom.
Signal: Young consumers are seeking analogue escapes that double as identity markers (collecting books as lifestyle).
For marketers: Authenticity in bridging digital hype with physical experience is key - don’t just chase the trend, build spaces where culture can live.

🔮 What We Can Expect Next
The risk is over-reliance on the BookTok effect - social media trends move fast, and “romantasy” won’t dominate forever. But the bigger story is clear: young audiences want cultural habits that feel slower, tactile and community-driven. Expect more retailers across fashion, music and entertainment to create hybrid spaces where online trends spill into real-world rituals. For Waterstones (and Barnes & Noble in the US), this isn’t just a moment - it’s a model for how analogue brands can thrive in a digital-first culture.