With almost 300 bookshops and employing over 3000 booksellers , Waterstones is the leading high street bookseller in the UK and Ireland. Amsterdam and Brussels play host to Waterstones' European presence, and two further jewels in the bookseller's crown are London's Hatchards and Dublin's legendary bookshop Hodges Figgis. Waterstones has opened several new shops over the last few years and invested in existing locations. The company also achieved a turnaround of fortunes for their online platform, Waterstones.com. In 2018 Waterstones further acquired British bookshop chain Foyles. Good bookselling and bookseller expertise is the driving force behind Waterstones' bookshops, and every year Waterstones runs thousands of author events across the country from weekly story time sessions and book clubs to author talks and large book signings. One of the biggest events of the year is the prestigious Waterstones Children's Book Prize, voted for by Waterstones' expert booksellers. Other notable activity include the Waterstones Book Of The Year announcement and support for the Waterstones Children's Laureate.