Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest specialty retailer in the world, chiefly through the operations of its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores based in the United States. It is known for large, upscale retail outlets, many of which contain a cafe serving Starbucks coffee, and for competitive discounting of bestsellers. Most stores also sell magazines, newspapers, DVDs, graphic novels, and music.

Related Topics:
Specialty retailer - Bookstore - United States - Cafe - Starbucks - Coffee - Magazine - Newspaper - DVD - Graphic novel - Music

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As of January 31, 2004, the company operated 840 stores in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. They plan to open 30-35 new stores every year.

Related Topics:
January 31 - 2004 - U.S. state - District of Columbia

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Barnes & Noble's start could be traced back to 1873 when Charles M. Barnes opened up a store in Wheaton, Illinois as a book printer. The first true bookstore was actually set up by his son, William (in partnership with G. Clifford Noble), in 1917 in New York City. During the 1950s and 60's their bookstore in New York vied with Brentano's as a new-book retailer. Barnes & Noble distinguished itself by selling textbooks, scholarly, and technical books as well as a huge selection of general-interest titles.

Related Topics:
1873 - Wheaton - Illinois - 1917 - New York City - 1950s - 60's - Brentano's - Textbook

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The business was purchased in 1971 by Leonard Riggio, its current chairman. Riggio oversaw the growth of the struggling business into the largest retailer of books in North America, where its critics claim it has contributed (along with online retailer Amazon.com) to the decline of local booksellers. In 2002, Leonard Riggio's brother Stephen Riggio was named CEO.

Related Topics:
1971 - North America - Amazon.com

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The chain opened an online bookstore, bn.com, in 1997, largely to compete with Amazon. The two businesses make an interesting comparison, because as of 2003 Amazon was and is a pure Internet business, while Barnes & Noble combines what is practically a clone of the Amazon Internet bookstore with their huge chain of brick-and-mortar retail stores.

Related Topics:
1997 - 2003 - Internet

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