1.
News & Coffee
London

Launched in Barcelona in 2019, News & Coffee now brings first-rate print media and coffee to 10 locations across Europe. Each kiosk has settled into its neighbourhood and so it is with the company’s second London location, this time in King’s Cross.

News & Coffee can be found in Granary Squre inside a Paperhouse – one of four kiosks designed by the London-based Heatherwick Studio in 2002. Over time these booths had lost their original purpose and the arrival of News & Coffee returned the Paperhouse to its intended function. “The conversation we had was, ‘How do we feel about bringing paper back into the Paperhouse?’” says Gautier Robial, one of News & Coffee’s three founders.

Granary Square provides a moment of calm in the bustling capital. In the warmer months it comes alive with children running in and out of fountains, live music and open-air cinema programmes. For Robial, this lively environment is the secret to the kiosk’s success. “People are rediscovering the joy of stopping by and having a chat while they wait for their coffee,” he says. “The newsstand is at the crossroads of so many layers of society; some that we don’t always notice. I always say that we have the same role as a public bench.”

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2.
Aedicola Lambrate
Milan

A ritual close to the heart of many Milanese is a trip to the neighbourhood edicola (newsstand) to catch up on events. So when a group of friends living in the city’s Lambrate district saw a “for sale” sign attached to their local news kiosk two years ago, concerns about losing their source of print media quickly turned into a discussion about buying the space. “The location, set on a corner with a large pavement, was a gathering place for the community,” says Michele Lupi, a former editor in chief at the Italian editions of GQ and Rolling Stone, who now works for Italian fashion group Tod’s. “Newsagents had been there in one form or another since the early 1900s. It would have been a pity to lose it.”

Within a year, Lupi and a trio of partners – Paolo Iabichino, Martina Pomponio and Alioscia Bisceglia (frontman of Italian band Casino Royale) – refurbished the stand, complete with bright-yellow signage. It now stocks national and foreign publications as well as books. Talks with writers and live radio events are hosted on-site to engage residents. “We’ve had a great response,” says Lupi. “When we opened, neighbours came by with prosecco and plates of pasta to celebrate.”

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3.
Quiosque das Amoreiras
Lisbon

Few shops in Lisbon enjoy better foot traffic than the small yellow newsstand just below the popular Amoreiras complex, which is home to residences, offices and a shopping centre. Passers-by are drawn it by the kiosk’s vast selection of national and international print media. “I have magazines that you won’t find anywhere else in Lisbon,” says Xavier Sepúlveda, who has owned the newsstand since 2019.

His inventory includes prominent English-language fashion, design, lifestyle and political magazines, as well as niche titles on music, film and wine. “We also carry quite a few French-language magazines such as Le Monde Hors-Séries and L’objet d’art,” says Sepúlveda, noting the proximity of the stand to the French lycée. Among the top sellers are decor magazines such as House & Garden, as well as the Portuguese Observador Lifestyle. The kiosk caters to the tastes of local patrons but Sepúlveda also stocks publications pertaining to his personal passions, and as the owner of a motorcycle shop it’s little surprise that he has a fine selection of titles about the two-wheeled beasts.

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4.
Quiosco KGB007
Madrid

“I might be the smallest but I’m the strongest,” says Rafa Martín Piña from behind the counter of his quiosco redondo, one of eight ornately roofed, round-shaped newsstands in central Madrid. The 58-year-old has worked here since he was 14, observing the streetscape transform. “Only the pharmacy and the café opposite remain,” he says. “We’ve outlived the cinemas, the banks, every beard and bigote (moustache) style.” When the legendary literary Café Comercial (which sits opposite) was revived in 2017, the new owners financed an overdue restoration of the kiosk.

“I’m known as a spot for cinephiles and music lovers,” says Piña, pointing to more than 3,000 DVDs and a few hundred vinyl albums stacked alongside printed press. The name of his kiosk, KGB007, which he insists is entirely arbitrary but playfully cinematic, sums up the essence of his offering: information that sparks the imagination. His quiosco also serves as an informal help desk. When Spain suffered a near-nationwide power cut in April, dozens of people, their phones suddenly inoperative, flocked to him for guidance. “When it comes to printed media, we often say that we’re the resistance but this extends to the survival of neighbourhood meeting points too.”

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5.
Banca Cinza
Rio de Janeiro

Banca Cinza is a recent addition to Rio de Janeiro’s eclectic mix of newsstands. Founded in 2024 by Jonas Aisengart, it sits in front of popular bar Chanchada, which Aisengart also runs. Cinza is in the bohemian Botafogo neighbourhood and has expanded the offerings of kiosks in the city by adding independent zines and art projects to the usual fare of traditional newspapers and magazines. Also on sale is ice-cream from Brazilian brand Sorvetiño as well as a neat selection of vinyl records. “My background is in art – I studied painting,” says Aisengart. He works alongside graphic artist Peu Lima to select the more artistic publications for the kiosk. “This is a way for me to reconnect with the art world within the commercial space of a newsstand,” he says.

The name Cinza (meaning grey) references the colour of Rio’s traditional newsstands but also works as an acronym for Cultura independente, notícias, zines e arte (Independent culture, news, zines and art). Among the bestsellers are illustrated titles by André Dahmer, who creates comic strips for Brazilian daily Folha de São Paulo and for Piaui (Brazil’s answer to the NewYorker). And if choosing the right reading material becomes thirsty work, you only have to cross the road to find a cold beer.

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