 In 2020 Daunt was criticised for arguing that a bookshop was “essential” during the global coronavirus pandemic, keeping the shops open as competitors and other non-food retail businesses closed.Waterstones, led by Daunt, also made no effort to distribute hand sanitiser or protective gloves to its employees despite their close interactions with customers.He is married to Katy Steward, a health professional, they have two daughters Molly and Eliza, and live in a 4-storey house in Hampstead.