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Freakonomics Radio · September 9, 2026 · 32m 9s

Amazon Was Supposed to Kill the Bookstore. James Daunt Had Other Plans | Better in Person

James Daunt
Show Notes

James Daunt, who went from running one small London bookshop to reviving both Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, tells Stephen Dubner how physical stores can compete with Amazon. He shares the philosophy and turnaround tactics that brought two iconic chains back from the brink, arguing that the in-person experience can do what e‑commerce cannot.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Highlights

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The small-shop roots of a chain-store revival
James Daunt describes his path from a single independent bookshop in London to leading the turnaround of two major bookstore chains.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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Physical bookstores survive because of, not despite, Amazon
Daunt argues that the rise of e‑commerce doesn't doom brick‑and‑mortar bookstores; instead it forces them to offer something meaningful that online shopping can’t replicate.
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Recipe for a bookstore turnaround
Daunt lays out the specific steps he used to revive Waterstones and Barnes & Noble after years of decline.
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Editorial

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Amazon’s prediction failed — the bookstore counter‑narrative
The episode counter‑points the widely assumed narrative that Amazon would kill physical bookstores, offering a real‑world example of resilience.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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