Barnes & Noble has turned a new leaf in 2023 to expand their brick-and-mortar presence, following in pursuit of many other retailers. The book chain plans to 30 new stores this year. This is the company’s first major expansion in over a decade. Sales for Barnes & Noble have grown over 4% in the last year, and are expected to continue to rise this year. The company used the pandemic as an opportunity to revamp their stores, reinvent their business model and embrace the popularity of books among Gen Z’ers in 2021.
“We scaled Everest in 2021, the highest point ever in the book market,” said Kristen McLean, executive director of NPD BookScan. “And Barnes & Noble was in a perfect position to capitalize on that because they were that fresh energy … and consumers were really happy to be back in bookstores.”
One of these expansions will include a Northern Virginia location, one of the largest Barnes & Noble stores to open in years. Some of the new Barnes & Noble locations will also take over former Amazon bookshops.
Source: NPR – Barnes & Noble
Photo Credit: NPR – Barnes & Noble
