Beech Tree News Network

Barnes & Noble began in 1873 when Charles Barnes opened a book printing business in Wheaton, Illinois.  Their first true bookstore was set up by his son, William, with G. Clifford Noble in 1917 in New York City.  A year later, the company became the first bookseller in America to discount books.  B&N does not operate any stores outside of the United States.  International customers are welcome to shop at www.BN.com Barnes & Noble was acquired by the hedge fund Elliot Advisors for $638 million, a move that has momentarily calmed fears among publishers and agents that the largest bookstore chain in the United States might collapse after one of the most tumultuous periods in its history (6-7-19)

In 1971, bookseller Leonard Riggio acquired the Barnes & Noble trade name in Manhattan, merging it with his own thriving bookselling business.  Within a few years, he had grown the Barnes & Noble Fifth Avenue store in New York City into “The Worlds Largest Bookstore with 150,000 textbooks and trade titles. 

Throughout the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, the company made numerous acquisitions, adding new bookstores throughout the country.  In 1987, the company made its largest acquisition-797 retail bookstores-when it purchased B. Dalton Bookseller, making the company a nationwide retailer overnight and the second-largest bookseller in America.  The company also acquired Doubleday book shops, rights to the Scribner’s bookstore trade name, and BookStop.  In the early ‘90’s. Mr. Riggio came up with the: superstore” concept, which helped revolutionize bookselling by combining a vast and deep selection of book titles with an experienced bookselling staff as well as a warm, comfortable, and spacious atmosphere.  The stores offered a comprehensive inventory of books, music, educational toys and games and gifts.  Barnes & Noble became a publicly traded company in 1993, adding BN.com in 1997. 

In August 2019, B&N was acquired by Elliot Advisors (UK) Limited(“Elliot”) and taken private.  Elliot’s acquisition of B&N followed its June 2018 acquisition of Waterstones, the largest retail bookseller in the United Kingdom.  James Duant, Managing Director of Waterstones, was appointed CEO of Barnes & Noble.  Mr. Duant has nearly 30 years experience in bookselling.  In 1990, after an early career as an investment banker, he opened his own in London called Duant Books, which now has 9 locations-mainly in London. 

Barnes & Noble’s biggest rival is Books-A-Million.  The largest Barnes & Noble is in New York City.  It covers 154,250 square feet and has 12.87 miles of shelving.  Barnes & Noble introduced in-store cafés in the early 1990’s.  For the latest iteration, the company partnered with the Bransletter Group and AvroKO on the menu and design.  At present, Barnes & Noble serves over 600 communities in all 50 states and remains the #1 book retailer in the United States. The state with the greatest number of Barnes & Noble locations in the U.S is California with 71 locations, which is 11% of all locations in America.  In 2019, Barnes & Noble had 627 stores in the United States, three fewer than the previous year.  (www.barnesandnobleinc.com)