Rising footfall and social media support sees profit at Irish arm of Waterstones up 12%

Bookseller said it benefitted from increased popularity of reading and physical bookshops which was 'supported notably by social media'

Speaking on its performance, the booksellers, which has stores in Cork city, Dublin and Drogheda, said that customer footfall and sales continue to grow year-on-year. Pic: Larry Cummins.

A resurgence in popularity for physical books helped by support from social media saw after-tax profit at the Irish operations of booksellers Waterstones rise by more than 12% in 2024 to €3.3m.

Newly filed accounts by Waterstones Booksellers Ireland Ltd show sales in the 12 months to April 2024 totalled almost €13.8m, reflecting a 4% rise on the previous year.