Shelf Awareness
Foyles will celebrate the upcoming opening of its new flagship "bookshop for the 21st century" at 107 Charing Cross Road in London with a grand opening festival that will consist of "three weeks of literature and culture" June 11-July 4.The festival will feature appearances by authors Michael Palin, Sarah Waters, Simon Armitage, Malorie Blackman, P.D. James and Yotam Ottolenghi, among others. Also on the schedule: jazz and classical concerts, lunchtime talks, debates, film screenings and creative workshops. The festival builds on Foyles's regular literary events programs, including the Charing Cross Road Festival and the Ray's Jazz performances and classical concerts. The events will take place in the new store's event and cultural facilities, which include a 200-seat auditorium, a gallery and a café.
Siôn Hamilton, retail operations director and manager of the new store, said, "We're incredibly honoured that some of most-loved writers of our time are joining us to celebrate the opening of our new flagship bookshop, with many more still to be announced. Ever since the first author lectures of the 1920s, Foyles has a long heritage of supporting authors and bringing them together with their readers. The new custom-designed events spaces at Foyles 107 Charing Road will continue this famous tradition in style. We look forward to welcoming the writers, thinkers, actors and readers who will continue to shape our lives over the next century."The new flagship store will have 37,000 square feet of flexible retail space on "eight alternating foot-plates over four floors," will stock more than 200,000 different titles on four miles of shelves, and have a central atrium that goes to the ground floor with large windows to fill the store with natural light.
Many of the features of the new Foyles grew out of a February 2013 brainstorming workshop done in partnership with the Bookseller that included industry representatives, tech people, customers and others.
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