{{Short description|American bookseller and retailer}} {{Redirect|B&N|the former Russian bank|B&N Bank}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2025}} {{stack begin}} {{Infobox company | name = Barnes & Noble Booksellers | logo = Barnes & Noble logo (2021).svg | logo_size = 275px | image = Barnes & Noble Union Square NYC May 2025.jpg | image_size = 250px | image_caption = Barnes & Noble's current flagship store and corporate office at,<br>Union Square, Manhattan, New York City (2025) | type = Private | ISIN = {{ISIN|sl=n|pl=y|US0677741094}} | industry = Bookselling | predecessor = Arthur Hinds & Company | foundation = {{start date and age|1886}} (as Arthur Hinds & Company) in New York City, U.S. | founders = {{unbulleted list|Charles M. Barnes|William Barnes|G. Clifford Noble|Leonard Riggio<ref name="water_stones">{{cite web |last1=Alter |first1=Alexandra |last2=Hsu |first2=Tiffany |title=Barnes & Noble Is Sold to Hedge Fund After a Tumultuous Year |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/books/barnes-noble-sale.html |work=The New York Times |date=June 7, 2019 |access-date=September 8, 2019}}</ref><ref name="imprint">{{cite web |title=Barnes & Noble Founder Retires, Leaving His Imprint On Bookstore's History |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/05/07/476931295/barnes-noble-founder-retires-leaving-his-imprint-on-bookstores-history |work=Weekend Edition Saturday |publisher=NPR |date=May 7, 2016 |access-date=September 8, 2019}}</ref>}} | location = 33 E. 17th Street | location_city = New York City | location_country = U.S. | num_locations = 700 stores (2025) | area_served = {{ubl|United States}} | num_locations_year = {{as of|2020|7|df=US}}<ref name="fiscal2019-3rdqtr">{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/consumer-reviews/sns-nyt-barnes-noble-redecorating-virus-20200710-nuykqpnyqjcq7m52dsenhqwntm-story.html |title=With stores closed, Barnes & Noble does some redecorating |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=July 10, 2020}}</ref> | key_people = {{unbulleted list|James Daunt (CEO)}} | products = Books, maps, CDs, DVDs, toys, games, stationery, calendars, gift packs, magazines, board games, encyclopedias | brands = {{unbulleted list|Nook|SparkNotes|Barnes & Noble Booksellers|Nook Digital, LLC|Sterling Publishing}} | revenue = {{decrease}} US$3.552 billion | revenue_year = FY 2019{{needs update|date=January 2026}} | operating_income = {{increase}} US$38.596 million | income_year = FY 2019{{needs update|date=January 2026}} | net_income = {{decrease}} US$3.769 million | net_income_year = FY 2019{{needs update|date=January 2026}} | assets = {{steady}} US$1.705 billion | assets_year = FY 2019{{needs update|date=January 2026}} | equity = {{steady}} US$444.497 million | equity_year = FY 2019{{needs update|date=January 2026}} | num_employees = 24,000 | num_employees_year = 2019 | owner = Elliott Investment Management | homepage = {{unbulleted list|{{URL|https://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/}} (corporate site)|{{URL|https://www.barnesandnoble.com/}} (consumer site)}} | footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://wallmine.com/nyse/bks |date=July 29, 2019 |title=Barnes & Noble |work=wallmine |access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref> }} {{stack end}} '''Barnes & Noble Booksellers''' is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 700+ retail stores across the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quick Facts About Barnes & Noble |url=https://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/about-bn/quick-facts/ |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Barnes & Noble |language=en}}</ref>

Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores. The company's headquarters are at 33 E. 17th Street on Union Square in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our_company/sponsorship/sponsorships_national/donations_national.html|title=National Sponsorships and Donations|access-date=January 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121101559/http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our_company/sponsorship/sponsorships_national/donations_national.html|archive-date=January 21, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As a result of a series of mergers and bankruptcies in the American bookstore industry since the 1990s (notably the liquidation of their main competitor Borders), Barnes & Noble has become the United States' largest bookstore chain and the only national chain.<ref name="wp">{{cite news |last=DePillis |first=Lydia |title=Barnes & Noble's troubles don't show why bookstores are doomed. They show how they'll survive. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/10/barnes-nobles-troubles-dont-show-why-its-doomed-they-show-how-it-survives/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 30, 2013|date=July 10, 2013|quote=it's now the only national bookstore chain in the country}}</ref><ref name="bw">{{cite web|last=Townsend |first=Matt |title=Bookstores Not Dead Yet as Riggio Bets on Barnes & Noble |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-10/bookstores-not-dead-yet-as-riggio-bets-on-barnes-and-noble |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |access-date=October 30, 2013 |date=July 10, 2013 |quote=the last national bookstore chain |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916111734/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-10/bookstores-not-dead-yet-as-riggio-bets-on-barnes-and-noble |archive-date=September 16, 2013 |df=mdy}}</ref> Previously, Barnes & Noble operated the chain of small B. Dalton Bookseller stores in malls until they announced the liquidation of the chain in 2010. The company was also one of the nation's largest manager of college textbook stores located on or near many college campuses when that division was spun off as a separate public company called Barnes & Noble Education in 2015.

The company is known by its customers for large retail outlets, many of which contain a café serving Starbucks coffee and other consumables. Most stores sell books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, graphic novels, gifts, games, toys, music, and Nook e-readers and tablets. The company offers publishing and self-publishing services.

==History== ===19th century: foundations=== left|upright|thumb|Clifford Noble in 1893 The company's official history shows the company being founded in 1873, when Charles M. Barnes founded a book business in Wheaton, Illinois. In 1917, Barnes son, William, joined G. Clifford Noble in establishing Barnes & Noble.<ref name="official history">{{Cite web |url=https://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/about-bn/history/ |title=Barnes & Noble History |website=Barnes & Noble, Inc |access-date=January 26, 2026}}</ref>

A major part of what would become Barnes & Noble was founded in 1886 as a bookstore called '''Arthur Hinds & Company''',<ref>{{cite web |last=Hyken |first=Shep |title=Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Independents: Who's Disrupting Whom? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2018/04/08/arming-the-davids-of-industry-against-disruptive-goliaths/#6fd75b466c84 |work=Forbes |date=April 8, 2018 |access-date=September 8, 2019}}</ref> located at 4 Cooper Institute in the Cooper Union Building in New York City.<ref name="Watson-Xenophon">{{cite book |author=Xenophon |translator-last=Watson |translator-first=John Selby |translator-link=John Selby Watson |title=The First Four Books of Xenophon's Anabasis |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22003 |publisher=Arthur Hinds & Company |location=New York City |date=<!-- no date, pre-1894 https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Watson,%20J.%20S.%20(John%20Selby),%201804-1884 --> |access-date=28 June 2021 |via=gutenberg.org |quote=4 Cooper Institute, New York City}}</ref><ref>"Barnes & Noble to Move", ''The Bookseller and Stationer'', January 1. 1922 p. 13</ref><ref>''The Noble Legacy: The Story of Gilbert Clifford Noble, Cofounder of the Barnes & Noble and Noble & Noble Book Companies'' by Betty N. Turner. iUniverse: 2006 {{ISBN|0595374786}}, 9780595374786, page 71</ref> In the fall of 1886, Gilbert Clifford Noble from Westfield, Massachusetts, who had graduated from Harvard College earlier that year,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/drs:6796688$338i | title=Harvard Mirador Viewer }}</ref> was hired to work there as a clerk.<ref>''The Noble Legacy: The Story of Gilbert Clifford Noble, Cofounder of the Barnes & Noble and Noble & Noble Book Companies'' by Betty N. Turner. iUniverse: 2006 {{ISBN|0595374786}}, 9780595374786, page 65</ref>

In 1894,<!-- 1889 ?: https://www.worldcat.org/title/first-four-books-of-xenophons-anabasis/oclc/19475736 --> Noble was made a partner, and the name of the shop was changed to '''Hinds & Noble'''.<ref>''The Noble Legacy: The Story of Gilbert Clifford Noble, Cofounder of the Barnes & Noble and Noble & Noble Book Companies'' by Betty N. Turner. iUniverse: 2006 {{ISBN|0595374786}}, 9780595374786, page 101</ref>

===20th century: expansion=== ====1900–1919==== In 1901, Hinds & Noble moved to 31–35 W. 15th Street.<ref>"Barnes & Noble to Move", ''The Bookseller and Stationer'', January 1, 1922, p. 13</ref> In 1917, Noble bought out Hinds and entered into a partnership with William Barnes, son of his old friend Charles Barnes; the name of the store was changed to Barnes & Noble soon after.<ref>''The Noble Legacy: The Story of Gilbert Clifford Noble, Cofounder of the Barnes & Noble and Noble & Noble Book Companies'' by Betty N. Turner. iUniverse: 2006 {{ISBN|0595374786}}, 9780595374786 page 151</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Cynthia |last=Blair |title=1917: First Barnes & Noble Bookstore Opens in Manhattan |url=http://www.newsday.com/about/ny-ihiny021705story,0,5026610.htmlstory |newspaper=Newsday |access-date=2007-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001000727/http://www.newsday.com/about/ny-ihiny021705story%2C0%2C5026610.htmlstory |archive-date=October 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> Charles Barnes had previously founded an Illinois bookseller that would later evolve into the Follet Corporation after William Barnes left the company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.follett.com/FollettHistory.cfm |title=Our Story |publisher=Follett.com |access-date=2017-07-17 |archive-date=October 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018004219/http://www.follett.com/FollettHistory.cfm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====1920–1939==== In 1930, Noble sold his share of the company to William Barnes' son, John Wilcox Barnes.<ref name="Print 2009. pg 62">''The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture from Consumerism to Control'' by Theodore G. Striphas. Columbia University Press: 2009. 978-0-231-14814-6 p. 62</ref> Noble died on June 6, 1936, at the age of 72.<ref>''The Noble Legacy: The Story of Gilbert Clifford Noble, Cofounder of the Barnes & Noble and Noble & Noble Book Companies'' by Betty N. Turner. iUniverse: 2006 {{ISBN|9780595374786}} page 153</ref> In 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, the bookstore moved its flagship location to 18th Street and Fifth Avenue,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tmHEm5ohoCUC&q=%22flagship+store%22+1932+barnes+noble&pg=PA1266|title=The Encyclopedia of New York State|editor=Eisenstadt, Peter|page=1266|year=2004|publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=9780815608080}}</ref> which served as the company's flagship location until its closure in 2014. The Noble family retained ownership of an associated publishing business, and Barnes & Noble opened a new publishing division in 1931.<ref name="Print 2009. pg 62"/>

====1940–1959==== In 1940, the store was one of the first businesses to feature Muzak. It underwent a major renovation the following year.<ref>''The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture from Consumerism to Control'' by Theodore G. Striphas. Columbia University Press: 2009. 978-0-231-14814-6 p. 64</ref> That decade, the company opened stores in Brooklyn and Chicago. William Barnes died in 1945, at the age of 78, and his son John Wilcox Barnes assumed full control.<ref name="Barnes pg 78">''Barnes & Noble: Groundbreaking Entrepreneurs'' by Kayla Morgan. Abdo Publishing: 2000 {{ISBN|9781604537581}} p. 78</ref> The company underwent a significant expansion between the 1950s and the 1960s, opening an additional retail store on 23rd Street in Manhattan, as well as shops near the City University of New York, Harvard, and other Northeast college campuses.<ref name="Print 2009. pg 65">''The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture from Consumerism to Control'' by Theodore G. Striphas. Columbia University Press: 2009. 978-0-231-14814-6 p. 65</ref>

====1960–1979==== left|thumb|Barnes & Noble old corporate headquarters, on Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City thumb|5th Avenue store sign John Barnes died in 1964, and the company was sold to the conglomerate Amtel two years later.<ref>''Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption'' by Laura J. Miller. University Of Chicago Press: 2007 p. 47</ref> The business was then purchased in 1971 by Leonard Riggio, who has been credited as one of the founders,<ref name="water_stones"/><ref name="imprint"/> for $1.2 million.<ref name="Print 2009. pg 65"/> By then, it consisted only of "a significantly reduced wholesale operation and a single retail location—the flagship store at 105 Fifth Avenue."<ref name="Print 2009. pg 65"/> The publishing operation was sold separately by Amtel to Harper & Row.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Gale Research Company| isbn = 0-8103-1724-9| volume = 46| pages = [https://archive.org/details/americanliterary0046unse/page/40 40]| editor = Peter Dzwonkoski| last = Wilkinson| first = Carol| title = American literary publishing houses, 1900-1980. edited by Peter Dzwonkoski.| chapter = Barnes & Noble Books| location = Detroit, Mich.| series = Dictionary of literary biography| date = 1986| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/americanliterary0046unse/page/40}}</ref> In 1974, Barnes & Noble became the first bookstore chain to advertise on television and a year later, the company became the first bookseller in the United States to discount books, by selling ''The New York Times'' best-selling titles at 40% off the publishers' list price.<ref name=hist>{{Cite web|title=Barnes & Noble History |url=http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our_company/history/bn_history.html#H3 |access-date=2008-06-13 |publisher=Barnes & Noble |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509130810/http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our_company/history/bn_history.html |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref> Between the 1970s and the 1980s, Barnes & Noble opened smaller discount stores, which were eventually phased out in favor of larger stores. They also began to publish their own books to be sold to mail-order customers. These titles were primarily affordable reissues of out-of-print titles and selling them through mail-order catalogs allowed Barnes & Noble to reach new customers nationwide.<ref name=hist />

In November 1974, editors of the British-produced ''Guinness Book of Records'', claimed on the BBC One television program Record Breakers that the Fifth Avenue store of Barnes & Noble had overtaken that of London's Foyles bookshop to become the world's biggest bookstore.<ref>''Record Breakers''. Presented by Roy Castle. Co-presented by Norris and Ross McWhirter. BBC 1. Broadcast on Tuesday November 19, 1974.</ref>

====1980–1999==== Barnes & Noble continued to expand throughout the 1980s, and it purchased the primarily shopping mall-based B. Dalton chain from Dayton Hudson in 1986, for an estimated $275 million to $300 million.<ref name=bloomberg>{{cite news|first=Stephen|last=Miller |title=Bruce Dayton, CEO of Retailer That Became Target, Dies at 97 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-13/bruce-dayton-who-led-family-s-dayton-hudson-stores-dies-at-97 |work=Bloomberg News |date=2015-10-13 |access-date=2015-11-15}}</ref> Solveig Robinson, author of ''The Book in Society: An Introduction to Print Culture'', wrote that the purchase "gave [Barnes & Noble] the necessary know-how and infrastructure to create what, in 1992, became the definitive bookselling superstore."<ref>Robinson, Solveig. ''The Book in Society: An Introduction to Print Culture''. Broadview Press, November 15, 2013. {{ISBN|1770484310}}, 9781770484313. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qfKuAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA260 260].</ref> The acquisition of the 797 B. Dalton bookstores turned the company into a nationwide retailer, and by the end of fiscal year 1999, the second-largest online bookseller in the United States.<ref name="BIannual1999">{{cite web |url=http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/for_investors/annual_reports/bnannual99.pdf |title=Barnes & Noble 1999 Annual Report |access-date=September 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116003831/http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/for_investors/annual_reports/bnannual99.pdf |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> B&N's critics claim that it has contributed to the decline of local and independent booksellers.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Warren |last=St. John |title=Barnes & Noble's Epiphany |url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.06/barnes.html |date=July 6, 1999 |magazine=Wired |access-date=May 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506092855/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.06/barnes.html |archive-date=May 6, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The last B. Dalton stores ceased operations in January 2010.<ref name="BIannual1999" />

In 1989, Barnes & Noble purchased the 22-store chain Bookstop.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pressler |first=Margaret Webb |title=HOW CROWN BOOKS SLIPPED DOWN THE BEST SELLER LIST |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/09/22/how-crown-books-slipped-down-the-best-seller-list/c152e8b4-fd5a-4277-9771-1e234642909f/ |website=The Washington Post |access-date=20 March 2023}}</ref>

In September 1993, Barnes & Noble became a publicly traded company by issuing $77 million worth of stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the BKS ticker symbol.<ref name="nyt-1993sep03">{{cite news |last=Strom |first=Stephanie |title=Barnes & Noble Goes Public: Vol. 2 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/03/business/barnes-noble-goes-public-vol-2.html?pagewanted=all |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 3, 1993 |page=D1}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1993sep28">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/28/business/company-news-barnes-noble-offering-price-rises-to-20-a-share.html?pagewanted=all |title=Barnes & Noble Offering Price Rises to $20 A Share |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 28, 1993 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |page=D4}}</ref> The company remained on the stock exchange until competition from Amazon decreased their stock value and in August 2019, Elliott Management purchased all of the company's stock and took the company private.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hirsch |first=Lauren |date=2019-06-07 |title=Elliott Management to acquire Barnes & Noble for $683 million |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/07/elliott-management-to-acquire-barnes-noble-for-683-million.html |access-date=2026-03-07 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>

Before Barnes & Noble created its official website, it sold books directly to customers through mail-order catalogs. It first began selling books online through an early videotex service called "Trintex",{{when|date=September 2022}} a joint venture between Sears and IBM, but the company's website was not launched until May 1997.<ref name=BNSiteHistory /> BarnesandNoble.com went public in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/1999/05/24/technology/barnesandnoble/|title=Barnesandnoble sets IPO at $18 – May 24, 1999|website=money.cnn.com|access-date=2026-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021205153415/https://money.cnn.com/1999/05/24/technology/barnesandnoble/ |archive-date=December 5, 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===2000s=== thumb|Barnes & Noble logo used from 1999 until 2019. A modified version of this logo with a straightened ampersand was used from 2019 until 2020. In 2004, it was reported that the reading of books was on the decline in America, with the number of non-reading adults increasing by 17 million between 1992 and 2002. Despite this, Barnes & Noble claimed that its retail store business was expanding in the book market.<ref>{{cite news |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/huge-decline-in-book-reading/ |title=Huge Decline In Book Reading|access-date=2018-08-22}}</ref> Beginning in 1999, Barnes & Noble owned GameStop, a video game and electronics retail outlet. The company distributed its shares in GameStop in late 2004, spinning it off into its own company in an attempt to simplify its corporate structure.<ref>{{cite news |title=Barnes & Noble Pares GameStop |first=Jeffrey A. |last=Trachtenberg |date=October 5, 2004 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

CEO Leonard Riggio stepped down in 2002, naming his younger brother, and former acting chief executive of BarnesandNoble.com, Stephen Riggio, to succeed him. Some corporate governance experts noted that this appointment could potentially cause conflict of interest, but the company board noted that Riggio's experience at the company made him the right person for the job.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/14/business/shifting-leadership-bookseller-barnes-noble-chief-steps-aside-for-brother.html|title=A Shifting Of Leadership At Bookseller; Barnes & Noble Chief Steps Aside for Brother|last=Kirkpatrick|first=David D.|newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 14, 2002 |access-date=2018-08-22|language=en}}</ref> Stephen Riggio stepped down from the position in 2010.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/03/18/barnes-nobles-ceo-steps-down-bn-com-president-william-lynch-takes-over/|title=Barnes & Noble CEO Steps Down, BN.com President William Lynch Takes Over|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2018-08-22|language=en-US}}</ref>

===2010s=== In 2010, website president William Lynch was named CEO. He began development toward the company's electronic book store and the introduction of its electronic book reader, the Nook. Steve Riggio stayed on as vice chairman.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2010-03-18-barnes-and-noble-execs_N.htm |title=Barnes & Noble names website head William Lynch as CEO|newspaper=USA Today|date= March 18, 2010}}</ref> When Lynch resigned in mid-2013,<ref>{{cite web|author=Brown, Abram|title=Barnes & Noble CEO Lynch Out After Nook Woes Deepen|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2013/07/08/barnes-noble-ceo-lynch-out-after-kindle-woes-deepen/|work=Forbes|date=July 8, 2013|access-date=August 20, 2013}}</ref> he was replaced by Chief Financial Officer Michael Huseby early the next year.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.marketwatch.com/story/barnes-noble-appoints-michael-p-huseby-chief-executive-officer-2014-01-08|publisher=Market Watch|title=Barnes & Noble points Michael P. Huseby CEO|date=January 8, 2014 }}</ref> Following the spinoff of Barnes & Noble Education, Huseby departed to head the new firm; his place was filled in mid-2015 by Ronald Boire,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/03/business/media/barnes-noble-names-ronald-boire-of-sears-canada-ceo.html|title=Barnes & Noble Names Ronald Boire of Sears Canada as C.E.O.|date=July 3, 2015|first=Alexandra|last=Alter|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Barnes & Noble Completes Spin-Off of Barnes & Noble Education|date=July 20, 2021|url=http://next.bncollege.com/barnes-noble-completes-spin-off-of-barnes-noble-education/|access-date=August 4, 2015|archive-date=August 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150805153531/http://next.bncollege.com/barnes-noble-completes-spin-off-of-barnes-noble-education/|url-status=dead}}</ref> who departed one year later.<ref>{{cite news|title=Barnes & Noble Says CEO Boire 'Not a Good Fit' and Will Step Down|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=August 16, 2016|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/barnes-noble-ceo-ronald-boire-is-leaving-1471380961|first=Jeffrey A. |last=Trachtenberg|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Demos Parneros was named Barnes & Noble's Chief Executive Officer in April 2017 after having joined the company as Chief Operating Officer in November 2016; however, he was fired in July 2018 for "company policy violations" without severance and was immediately removed from the company's board, at the advice of a law firm hired by Barnes & Noble.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/03/news/companies/barnes-noble-fires-ceo/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703220450/https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/03/news/companies/barnes-noble-fires-ceo/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 3, 2018|title=Barnes & Noble fires CEO for violating company policy|last=Isidore|first=Chris|date=2018-07-03|work=CNNMoney|access-date=2018-07-04}}</ref> On August 28, 2018, Parneros filed a lawsuit against Barnes & Noble, claiming wrongful termination.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://qz.com/work/1372756/fired-barnes-noble-ceo-demos-parneros-sues-for-wrongful-termination/|title=A lawsuit by a fired Barnes & Noble CEO is a spectacular example of not going quietly|work=Quartz at Work|access-date=2018-08-30|language=en-US}}</ref>

After the bankruptcy and closure of its chief competitor, Borders, in 2011,<ref>{{cite web|last=Leopold|first=Todd|title=The death and life of a great American bookstore|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/12/first.borders.bookstore.closing/|work=CNN|access-date=October 30, 2013|date=September 12, 2011}}</ref> Barnes & Noble became the last remaining national bookstore chain in the United States.<ref name="wp"/><ref name="bw"/> This followed a series of mergers and bankruptcies in the American bookstore industry since the 1990s, which also saw the demise of Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble's own subsidiary B. Dalton, and Crown Books, among others. Barnes & Noble's largest physical bookstore rival is now Books-A-Million, which does not operate in the Western US. Barnes & Noble also faces competition from general retailers, especially from Amazon.com, and from regional and independent booksellers. Amazon has even opened its own physical bookstores, once again creating a second national bookstore chain.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Jim |last=Milliot |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/73837-bookexpo-2017-amazon-will-be-the-fifth-largest-bookstore-chain.html|title=Amazon Will Be the Fifth Largest Bookstore Chain|magazine=Publishers Weekly|date=June 1, 2017|access-date=November 7, 2017}}</ref>

Barnes & Noble began reducing its overall presence in the 2010s, closing its original flagship store in early 2014.<ref name="crains">{{cite news |first=Adrianne |last=Pasquarelli |title=Barnes & Noble closes the book on Fifth Ave. store |url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140107/RETAIL_APPAREL/140109914 |work=Crain's New York Business |date=January 7, 2014 |access-date=2015-09-01}}</ref> In mid-2014, the company announced it would separate its Nook Media division from its retail store division.<ref name="Franzen, Carl">{{cite web|author=Franzen, Carl|title=Barnes & Noble is splitting into two companies: one for Nooks and one for books|date=June 25, 2014|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/6/25/5841278/barnes-noble-is-splitting-into-two-companies-nook-and-books}}</ref>

In 2018, the company closed 400 of its retail locations, as its business seemed to be going through a decline.<ref name="guardian 04-15-2023"> {{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/apr/15/barnes-and-noble-bookstores-james-daunt|title=Amazon doesn't care about books': how Barnes & Noble bounced back|first=Lauren|last=Aratani|date=April 15, 2023|work=The Guardian}}</ref> In February 2018, Barnes & Noble permanently laid off 1,800 full time employees at an annual cost savings of $40 million per year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/13/barnes-noble-confirms-job-cuts-expects-40-million-in-cost-savings.html|title=Barnes & Noble confirms job cuts, expects $40 million in annual cost savings|last=Thomas|first=Lauren|date=2018-02-13|work=CNBC|access-date=2018-08-22}}</ref> According to ''TechCrunch'', the company essentially fired their entire full time staff at all their stores, who would be making an average of $22,000 per year (~$11 per hour), and were replaced by part time workers earning close to minimum wage.<ref name="techcrunch-2018feb16">{{cite news |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/16/barnes-noble-is-killing-itself/ |title=Barnes & Noble is killing itself |website=TechCrunch |date=February 16, 2018 |first=John |last=Biggs}}</ref> In the 2018 fiscal year that ended in July, the company's overall losses reached $17 million.<ref name="forbes-2018sep06">{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andriacheng/2018/09/06/barnes-nobles-problem-is-no-longer-about-amazon/#9d2398244d08 |title=Barnes & Noble's Problem Is No Longer Just Amazon |magazine=Forbes |date=September 6, 2018 |first=Andria |last=Cheng}}</ref>

Some media accounts noted the retail chain's apparent loss of focus, with one article noting:

<blockquote> While it's easy to blame Barnes & Noble's troubles on Amazon.com, the fact is the book industry has been on a roll. According to the American Booksellers Association, a trade group representing independent bookshops, year-to-date sales through August 6 actually rose 5% among its member sellers.

A visit to Barnes & Noble's flagship New York store in Union Square may offer some clues. The CD and DVD sections, which still occupy a sizable chunk of store space, are often deserted and unmanned whenever I visit, most recently Wednesday night. The same goes for the Nook area, which, despite displays of some Nook devices, was mostly taken up by an array of other items like yoga mats and Brookstone weighted blankets.

Elsewhere in the store, alongside bestsellers, signed copies and books sorted by category are more examples of mismatched merchandise: journals, toys, candles and diffuser sets, tea and chocolate selections. In the kids' area, backpacks and other school merchandise were marked 50% off among the expanded toy aisles. The café traffic also showed little sign of helping drive sales elsewhere in the store. At the end of the visit, one couldn't help but wonder: What does Barnes & Noble stand for, and what does it want to be?<ref name="techcrunch-2018feb16">{{cite news |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/16/barnes-noble-is-killing-itself/ |title=Barnes & Noble is killing itself |website=TechCrunch |date=February 16, 2018 |first=John |last=Biggs}}</ref></blockquote>

In early July 2018, Barnes & Noble fired CEO Demos Parneros for an unspecified violation of company policy, which it was later revealed was based upon sexual harassment claims.<ref>{{cite news|author=Meyersohn, Nathaniel|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/06/news/companies/barnes-and-noble-books-amazon/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906220358/https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/06/news/companies/barnes-and-noble-books-amazon/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 6, 2018|title=Barnes & Noble is overrun with problems|date=2018-09-06|publisher=CNN|access-date=2019-11-15|language=en-US}}</ref> It accused Pareneros of breaching his duties of loyalty and good faith and acting as a "faithless servant" by sexually harassing the female employee, bullying subordinates, and attempting to "sabotage" a potential acquisition of the New York-based company, and asserted that the company should therefore be entitled to claw back his salary, bonus, and other benefits during the period of his "disloyal conduct".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/barnes-noble-lawsuit/corrected-barnes-noble-countersues-ex-ceo-it-fired-after-alleged-harassment-idUSL2N1XA25U|last=Stempel |first=Jonathan |date=October 30, 2018|title=Barnes & Noble countersues ex-CEO it fired after alleged harassment|publisher=Reuters|access-date=August 8, 2019}}</ref>

On October 3, 2018, the board of directors announced that they would entertain offers to buy the company. Among the potential buyers was Leonard Riggio, who owned at the time approximately 19% of Barnes & Noble stock. As a result of the news, the company's stock price jumped by nearly 30%.<ref name="fm-2018oct03">{{cite news |url=http://fortune.com/2018/10/03/barnes-noble-sale/ |title=Barnes & Noble Considers Selling Itself Yet Again |magazine=Fortune Magazine |date=October 3, 2018 |first=Phil |last=Wahba}}</ref>

In August 2019, Elliott Investment Management acquired the company<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190807005399/en/Elliott-Completes-Acquisition-Barnes-Noble | title=Elliott Completes Acquisition of Barnes & Noble | publisher=Business Wire | date=August 7, 2019}}</ref> for approximately $683 million with James Daunt, the managing director of London-based Waterstones Booksellers Ltd., becoming CEO.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/elliott-buy-barnes-noble-daunt-will-run-both-chains-1020446|last=Jones |first=Philip |date=June 7, 2019|title=Elliott to buy Barnes & Noble; Daunt will run both chains|work=The Bookseller}}</ref> James Daunt was to become CEO of both Waterstones and Barnes & Noble and was to relocate from London to New York.<ref name="Bloomberg20190807">{{cite news |date=August 7, 2019 |title=Elliott Completes Acquisition of Barnes & Noble |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2019-08-07/elliott-completes-acquisition-of-barnes-noble |access-date=April 17, 2021 |work=Bloomberg News |agency=Business Wire}}</ref> On August 7, 2019, Barnes & Noble became a privately held, wholly owned subsidiary of Elliott.<ref name=Bloomberg20190807/>

In March 2020, Barnes & Noble announced that it would temporarily stop selling magazines and, likewise temporarily, close 400 of its 620 stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2020/03/31/barnes-noble-stops-selling-magazines-while-coronavirus-rages/|title=Barnes & Noble stops selling magazines while coronavirus rages|last=Kelly|first=Keith J.|date=2020-04-01|website=New York Post|access-date=2020-04-15}}</ref> Approximately 12 Barnes & Noble stores had closed completely following Elliott Advisors' takeover of the company. Daunt announced intentions to overhaul the acquisition procedure, opting for centralized and reduced initial frontlist orders compared to previous years.<ref>{{cite web|date=15 September 2020|title=Daunt outlines plan for Barnes & Noble|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/09/15/156590/daunt-outlines-plan-for-barnes-noble/|website=Books+Publishing}}</ref> In 2021, the company acquired Paper Source.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/11/barnes-noble-owner-buys-stationery-retailer-paper-source-out-of-bankruptcy.html | title=Barnes & Noble owner buys stationery retailer Paper Source out of bankruptcy | website=CNBC | date=May 11, 2021 |author-first1=Nadine|author-last1=El-Bawab}}</ref>

===Retail resurgence in 2020s=== In April 2022, ''The New York Times'' reported the company used the temporary closure of stores during the pandemic to refurbish them, and credited Daunt with turning around sales both in store and online.<ref name="Harris">{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Elizabeth A. |date=2022-04-15 |title=How Barnes & Noble Went From Villain to Hero |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/arts/barnes-noble-bookstores.html |access-date=2022-04-18 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> During the COVID-19 pandemic, Barnes & Noble saw up to a 500% increase in graphic novel and manga sales.<ref>{{cite web|title=The pandemic has sparked a book craze — and Barnes & Noble is cashing in|url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/the-pandemic-has-sparked-a-book-craze-and-barnes-noble-is-cashing-in|first=Lisa|last=Fickenscher|publisher=Fox Business|date=19 September 2021}}</ref>

As of 2023 Barnes & Noble was the biggest national chain of bookstores in the United States. It has over 660 retail stores, with locations in all 50 states. It operates 700 college bookstores, and has more than 34,000 full-time employees.<ref name="guardian 04-15-2023"/> Its retail store in Union Square in New York City is the second-biggest bookstore in the USA.<ref name="guardian 04-15-2023"/>

In 2023 the CEO, James Daunt fostered a new approach to retail, allowing stores greater autonomy in choosing their layout, and also making them more similar to independent stores, in atmosphere and in layout. The Wall Street Journal cited Daunt's background running Daunt Books, an independent bookseller in the UK, as one major basis for his approach as CEO to new strategies for developing the retail business.<ref name="wsj 2023"> [https://www.wsj.com/business/media/barnes-noble-bookstores-james-daunt-c1afc06b That Cool New Bookstore? It's a Barnes & Noble.America's biggest bookstore chain is being reinvented. To understand the strategy for its 596 stores, look at the most famous one.] By Ben Cohen | The Wall Street Journal July 29, 2023. </ref> Daunt encouraged Barnes & Noble buyers to limit the scope of their research, cut out "boring" and "tedious" books, and source books primarily from larger publishing houses; many indie publishers alleged that their business was dropped and they lost contact with Barnes & Noble buyers after Daunt became CEO.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Milliot {{!}} |first=Jim |title=Independent Publishers Are Fed Up with Barnes & Noble |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/98035-independent-publishers-are-fed-up-with-barnes-noble-s-buying-practices.html |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en}}</ref> The article asserted "The idea behind the new Barnes & Noble is to make the national chain more like a collection of 596 local indies. The famous one in my neighborhood [Upper West Side of Manhattan] used to symbolize the company's past. Now it offers a peek at its future. 'If we can do it here,' Daunt said, 'we can do it anywhere.' "<ref name="wsj 2023"/>

The company's retail operations had a major expansion in 2023, and it moved ahead with plans to open thirty new stores.<ref name="guardian 04-15-2023"/><ref name="wsj 2023"/>

The company opened 60 new locations in 2024.<ref name="CNN 2024"> {{Cite news |last=Tulfo |first=Erika |date=2024-11-16 |title=Barnes & Noble is making a comeback |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/16/business/barnes-and-noble-is-back-again/index.html |access-date=2024-11-17 |work=CNN Business |language=en}}</ref> Media accounts cited coverage on social media and by influencers as one reason for Barnes & Noble's popularity and success.<ref name="bloomberg 2025"> [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-30/barnes-noble-sales-are-growing-again-thanks-to-booktok-buzz?embedded-checkout=true The Internet Almost Killed Barnes & Noble, Then Saved It.] BookTok readers are flocking to physical stores to snag a copy of the latest viral hit—and helping the once-struggling chain turn a corner. By Lily Meier, January 30, 2025, bloomberg.com </ref>

In an article entitled "Barnes & Noble is making a comeback," CNN noted that the new CEO James Daunt had implemented a strategy with the physical storefronts that involved curating each store's selection, leading to a reported 7% increase in traffic.<ref name="CNN 2024" />

In June 2024, the company announced the purchase of The Tattered Cover, a small Denver-based independent chain of bookstores, for $1.83M.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Nawotka |first1=Ed |last2=Milliot {{!}} |first2=Jim |title=Barnes & Noble Buys Denver's Tattered Cover Bookstores for $1.83 Million |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/95312-barnes-noble-buys-denver-s-tattered-cover-bookstores.html |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en |quote=Through a subsidiary, B&N and its owner, Elliott Investment Management, will buy the Denver chain of four stores for $1.83 million. Tattered Cover will keep its name and branding, and B&N anticipates that it will retain a majority of the 70 people currently employed at the four locations. The sale to TC Acquisition Co. LLC, an affiliate of Barnes & Noble Inc... Tattered Cover is among the country's most storied independent bookstores, and came to national prominence under the leadership of the late First Amendment rights advocate Joyce Meskis, who bought the store in 1974... }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gazette |first=Bernadette Berdychowski The Denver |date=2024-06-18 |title=Why does Barnes & Noble want Denver's Tattered Cover? Its CEO explains |url=https://gazette.com/news/barnes-noble-tattered-cover-ceo-james-daunt/article_14a9fa15-632d-54da-9fc4-85a0763978a6.html |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=Colorado Springs Gazette |language=en}}</ref> The deal kept the current branding, locations, and most employees.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-18 |title=Tattered Cover CEO: 'Spirit of Joyce Meskis' to continue under Barnes & Noble ownership |url=https://denverite.com/2024/06/18/tattered-cover-barnes-noble-sale-reactions/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=Denverite |language=en}}</ref> The sale was approved by a bankruptcy court in July 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-31 |title=Court Approves Barnes & Noble's Purchase of Tattered Cover|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/95616-court-approves-barnes-noble-s-purchase-of-tattered-cover.html|first=Andrew |last=Albanese |access-date=2024-11-28|website=Publishers Weekly|language=en-US}}</ref>

In September 2025, Barnes & Noble announced it would acquire San Francisco Bay Area chain Books Inc. for $3.25 million. Books Inc. had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |last=DeBenedetti |first=Katie |date=September 5, 2025 |title=Barnes & Noble Buys Beloved Bay Area Chain Books Inc. for $3.25 Million |url=https://www.kqed.org/news/12054603/barnes-noble-buys-beloved-bay-area-chain-books-inc-for-3-25-million |access-date=September 11, 2025 |work=KQED |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name= "sfchronicle 2025">{{cite news |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/books-inc-barnes-noble-sale-21029638.php |title=Bay Area's oldest bookstore asks to be saved by Barnes & Noble |first=Aidin |last=Vaziri |date=September 4, 2025 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>

In 2026, Barnes & Noble announced its plans to open sixty new stores.<ref name="Jan 2026 The Sun"> {{Cite news |url=https://www.the-sun.com/money/15832347/barnes-noble-defies-retail-apocalypse-opening-locations/ |title=Barnes & Noble defies retail apocalypse with first of dozens of new locations |first=Jacob |last=Willeford |work=Consumer Reporter |date=January 3, 2026}}</ref> The CEO, James Daunt, have announced that he would be supporting AI-written books.<ref>https://www.today.com/popculture/books/barnes-and-noble-ceo-james-daunt-interview-ai-books-rcna345417</ref>

==Publishing== <!-- This section is linked from Nine Men's Morris --> Barnes & Noble maintained a separate publishing business in addition to its retail stores and other entities.<ref name="Harris"/> Barnes & Noble's publishing company got its start by reissuing inexpensive versions of out-of-print books, and made a push to expand the unit in 2003. The company saw success the following year; in September 2004, its book, ''Hippie'', reached ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/09/books/huge-book-retailer-expands-its-publishing-role.html?mtrref=www.google.com|title=Huge Book Retailer Expands Its Publishing Role|last=Wyatt|first=Edward|newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 9, 2004 |access-date=2018-08-22}}</ref>

Barnes & Noble often published and sold books at a lower cost than competitors, and sold lines of inexpensive books like ''Barnes & Noble Classics''<ref name=":0" /> and the leather-bound ''Barnes & Noble Collectible Classics'' collection which it had published since 1992. In addition, the company had a second paperback series called the ''Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Barnes-and-Noble-Library-of-Essential-Readings/379001270/|title=Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading|publisher=Barnes & Noble|access-date=April 8, 2012}}</ref> Barnes & Noble's edition of ''The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense'' by Suzette Haden Elgin, sold over 250,000 copies,<ref name=BNSiteHistory /> and its reissued edition of ''The Columbia History of the World'' by John Garrity, sold over 1 million copies.<ref name=BNSiteHistory>{{cite web|url=http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our_company/history/bn_history.html |title=Barnes & Noble History|website= Barnes & Noble Inc.|access-date= September 4, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8527098/Barnes-and-Noble-a-history.html|title=Barnes & Noble: a history|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=2011-05-20|access-date=2018-08-22|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

In 2022, Barnes & Noble rebranded its publishing operations as "Union Square & Company".<ref>{{cite web|title = Barnes & Noble Unveils Union Square & Company|work=Publishers Weekly|date=January 7, 2022|last= Milliot|first=Jim|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/88252-barnes-noble-unveils-union-square-company.html|access-date = 2025-05-23}}</ref> In 2024, Barnes & Noble announced the sale of the publishing company to Hachette Book Group.<ref>{{cite web|title = Barnes & Noble announces the sale of Sterling Publishing to Hachette Book Group| work =Barnes & Noble Inc| url =https://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/press-release/barnes-noble-announces-sale-sterling-publishing-hachette-book-group/|date=November 18, 2024|access-date = 2025-05-23}}</ref>

The company has expanded business by acquiring several firms over the years, including J.B. Fairfax International in 1999,<ref>{{Cite web |title=B&N Buys J.B. Fairfax International |work=PublishersWeekly.com |access-date=2020-03-28 |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/19990816/39525-b-amp-n-buys-j-b-fairfax-international.html}}</ref> SparkNotes, an educational website and publishing company, in 2001<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sec.edgar-online.com/2001/06/18/0000950123-01-503532/Section2.asp |title=Barnes & Noble inc – BKS Quarterly Report (10-Q) Item 1: Financial Statements |access-date=2008-02-05 |date=18 June 2001 |publisher=Edgar Online |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224133049/http://sec.edgar-online.com/2001/06/18/0000950123-01-503532/Section2.asp |archive-date=December 24, 2007}}</ref> and Sterling Publishing (later renamed Union Square & Co) in 2003.<ref name="BNSiteHistory" />

==Food service in retail stores== [[File:6.25.11SpringfieldBarnes&NobleByLuigiNovi.jpg|thumb|left| The Barnes & Noble café in Springfield, New Jersey. This location was closed in 2023 and moved to Union Township.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Redmond |first1=Kimberly |title=Barnes & Noble celebrates Union County store relocation with famed NJ author (updated) |url=https://njbiz.com/barnes-noble-celebrates-union-county-store-relocation-with-famed-nj-author-slideshow/ |access-date=February 27, 2024 |work=NJBIZ |date=March 7, 2023}}</ref>]] [[File:Irvine Spectrum.jpg|thumb|View of Irvine Spectrum and Interstate 5 from the newly constructed parking structure]] In 1993, Barnes & Noble signed an agreement to serve Starbucks coffee in each of its existing and future cafes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19930907/1719818/starbucks-co-books-space-in-barnes-amp-noble-chain|title=Business {{!}} Starbucks Co. Books Space In Barnes & Noble Chain|website=community.seattletimes.nwsource.com|access-date=2018-08-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.strategy-business.com/article/20534?gko=582b3|title=The Barista Principle — Starbucks and the Rise of Relational Capital|last1=Neilson|first2=Ranjay |last2=Gulati|first3= Sarah |last3=Huffman|first1= Gary L.|work=strategy+business|access-date=2017-08-09}}</ref> In 2004, Barnes & Noble began offering Wi-Fi in the café area of selected stores, using SBC FreedomLink (now the AT&T Wi-Fi network). All stores offered Wi-Fi as of 2006 and as of July 27, 2009, Wi-Fi is offered for free to all customers.<ref>Colker, David. [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/07/free-wifi-barnes-nobel-starbucks-att.html "Internet wants to be free at Barnes & Noble"], ''Los Angeles Times'', July 29, 2009</ref>

[[File:Barnes & Noble Interior.JPG|thumb|The Barnes & Noble at The Grove at Farmers Market, Los Angeles]] [[Image:Bnlynnwood.jpg|thumb|Barnes & Noble in Lynnwood, Washington, using the former 1990s logo]] In 2016, Barnes & Noble announced plans to open four concept stores in 2017 that featured cafés twice the size of its usual food spots, as well as bars offering wine and beer. Restaurants would also include a waitstaff and a full menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The restaurants were expected to revive sales growth. Company executives planned to open additional concept stores if sales met expectations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://fortune.com/2016/06/23/barnes-and-noble-wine/|first=Phil|last= Wahba|title=Cheers? Barnes & Noble Is Getting Into the Bars and Restaurant Business|work=Fortune|access-date=2018-08-22|language=en}}</ref> The first stores were opened in Scarsdale, New York; Edina, Minnesota; Plano, Texas; and Folsom, California.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/barnes-noble-continues-expand-full-service-kitchen|title=Barnes & Noble continues to expand full-service Kitchen|date=2017-11-10|work=Nation's Restaurant News|access-date=2018-03-16}}</ref> [[File:The Teen Paranormal Romance section at Barnes & Noble, Austin, TX, USA.jpg|thumb|The teen paranormal romance section at Barnes & Noble, Austin, TX.]]

==Community involvement== Barnes & Noble hires community business development managers to engage in community outreach.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.newsminer.com/readers_choice/barnes-noble-voted-best-local-bookstore/article_c43a032c-920a-11e8-97f6-fff74df2cd9d.html|title=Barnes & Noble voted best local bookstore|last=Jones|first=David |work=Fairbanks Daily News-Miner|access-date=2018-08-22|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/chattanooganow/outabout/story/2018/aug/08/pick-page-turner-book-sellers-name-their-summ/476528/|title=Pick up a page-turner: Book-sellers name their summer reading picks|website=Chattanooga Times Free Press|date=8 August 2018}}</ref> The Barnes & Noble located in Fairbanks, Alaska gave over $80,000 to the community between 2015 and 2018 through book fair fundraising programs.<ref name=":1" /> To promote nationwide literacy among 1st through 6th graders and encourage more reading and learning during the summer, Barnes & Noble has implemented a summer challenge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/|title=Summer Reading Challenge|work=Barnes & Noble website |access-date=2009-05-08| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430094614/http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/| archive-date=April 30, 2009 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2018/06/22/barnes-noble-bks-q4-2018-earnings-conference-call.aspx|title=Barnes & Noble (BKS) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript|author=Motley Fool Staff|work=The Motley Fool|access-date=2018-08-22|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://siouxcityjournal.com/ads/other/ads/fun-stuff-for-kids-online/ad_c0b49d72-9672-11e8-9b90-9b4fe3103637.html|title=Fun Stuff for Kids Online|website=Sioux City Journal|language=en|access-date=2018-08-31|archive-date=September 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901003734/https://siouxcityjournal.com/ads/other/ads/fun-stuff-for-kids-online/ad_c0b49d72-9672-11e8-9b90-9b4fe3103637.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== ''The Barnes & Noble Review'' == [[File:Barnes & Noble Mural.jpg|thumb|Barnes & Noble mural at Kendall, Florida]] '''''The Barnes & Noble Review''''' was an online magazine, hosted on Barnes & Noble's website, that published evaluations of both fiction and nonfiction works, along with essays, interviews, and pieces on other topics. It was launched in October 2007 by Barnes & Noble CEO Steve Riggio and James Mustich Jr., publisher of the book catalog A Common Reader. Regular contributors to the magazine have included book critics Michael Dirda, Brooke Allen, Laura Miller, and Adam Kirsch, as well as prominent writers in fields outside of literary criticism, such as political journalists Chris Hayes and Ezra Klein, philosopher A. C. Grayling, music critic Robert Christgau, and cartoonist Ward Sutton. Miller, who has written for ''Salon'' and Mustich's Common Reader, said, "The reviews [at ''BNR''] are the same as anywhere else", adding that the tone and length of the pieces evoke ''The New York Times Book Review'' rather than the less formal ''Salon''. The magazine's web traffic flourished during its first few years. According to Compete.com, it amassed 50,000 unique visitors in December 2009.<ref name="CJR">{{cite magazine|last=Smith|first=Jordan Michael|date=April 2010|url=https://archives.cjr.org/review/critical_condition.php|title=Critical Condition|magazine=Columbia Journalism Review|access-date=June 19, 2019}}</ref>

Some critics were originally skeptical of ''The Barnes & Noble Review''. Art Winslow, former literary editor of ''The Nation'', said that because Barnes & Noble is a brand name, ''BNR''{{'}}s contributors are effectively endorsing the corporation, and that the motives behind the publication undermine its integrity: "Criticism's content should be free of any commercialism. Barnes & Noble has found another way to sell books, and that's the ''Review''. ... I wouldn't write there." Mustich disputed the idea that the magazine serves as a corporate tactic: "We counter that skepticism with quality. If people read the site, they can determine that we are doing what we purport to do. They have never tried to influence my judgment. The first attempt would have been the last."<ref name="CJR"/>

==Barnes & Noble Nook== {{See also|Barnes & Noble Nook}} Barnes & Noble Nook (styled NOOK) is a suite of e-book readers developed by the company,<ref>{{cite news|author=Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Geoffrey A. Fowler|title=B&N Reader Out Tuesday|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703816204574483790552304348|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=October 20, 2009|access-date=October 20, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021225827/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703816204574483790552304348.html|archive-date=October 21, 2009|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> based on the Android platform. The first device was announced in the United States on October 20, 2009, and was released November 30, 2009, for $259.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ina Fried|title=Barnes & Noble's 'Nook' said to cost $259|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10378525-56.html|publisher=cnet news|date=October 19, 2009|access-date=October 20, 2009|archive-date=December 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226110445/https://www.cnet.com/news/barnes-nobles-nook-said-to-cost-259/|url-status=dead}}</ref> On June 21, 2010, Barnes & Noble reduced the Nook's price to $199, as well as launched a new Wi-Fi-only model, for $149, and released a Nook colored touch screen for $249.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/barnes-noble-cuts-nook-price/|work=CBS News| title=Barnes & Noble Cuts Nook Price|date=June 21, 2010}}</ref>

The Nook competes with the Amazon Kindle, Kobo eReader, and other e-reader offerings and color tablets with reading apps, such as Apple's iBooks for iOS devices. Various Nook models feature a 6-inch, 7-inch, or larger touchscreen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/features/index.asp |website=Barnes & Noble|title=Nook Features}}</ref> Version 1.3 of the Nook introduced Wi-Fi connectivity, a web browser, a dictionary, chess, and sudoku games, and a separate, smaller color touchscreen that serves as the primary input device. The Nook also features a Read in Store capability that allows visitors to stream and read any book for up to one hour while shopping in a Barnes & Noble bookstore. According to a June 2010 CNet article, the company planned to expand this feature to include periodicals in the near future.<ref>{{cite web |author=David Carnoy|title=B&N delivers meaty Nook update, teases iPad app|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20003085-1.html|publisher=cnet news|date=April 23, 2010 |access-date=June 7, 2010}}</ref> The color version of the Nook introduced a 7-inch color touchscreen and the ability to view at a portrait or landscape orientation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nookcolor/features/index.asp |title=Nook Color Features|website= Barnes &. Noble|access-date=August 3, 2011}}</ref>

On April 30, 2012, Microsoft invested $300 million for a 17.6% stake in Nook, which valued the business at about $1.7 billion.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ovide |first=Shira |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303916904577375502392129654 |title=Microsoft to Invest in Barnes & Noble's Nook |publisher=Online.wsj.com |date=May 2, 2012 |access-date=2012-09-18|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In November 2012, the technology publications ''Mashable'' and ''Techdirt'' criticized the license agreement with which Barnes & Noble sells ebooks to consumers, pointing out that the rights to re-download a purchased ebook expire when the customer's credit card expires, and a valid credit card must be added to the account to restore this functionality.<ref>{{cite news|author=Rosen, Kenneth |date=November 28, 2012|url=http://mashable.com/2012/11/28/barnes-and-noble-ereader/ |title=Barnes & Noble: That Ebook is Only Yours Until Your Credit Card Expires|work= Mashable}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Cushing, Tim |date=November 27, 2012|url=http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121126/18084721154/barnes-noble-decides-that-purchased-ebooks-are-only-yours-until-your-credit-card-expires.shtml |title=Barnes & Noble Decides That Purchased Ebooks Are Only Yours Until Your Credit Card Expires|work= Techdirt}}</ref>

In June 2014, Barnes & Noble had previously announced that it would spin off its Nook Digital division into a separate publicly traded company,<ref name="Franzen, Carl"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/02/26/bn-to-split-off-college-stores-retain-nook-and-retail-stores/|first=Nate |last=Hoffelder |title= B&N to Split Off College Stores, Retain Nook and Retail Stores|work=The Digital Reader|access-date= July 6, 2015|date=February 26, 2015}}</ref> but as of 2016, Nook remains a part of Barnes & Noble. That same month, the company announced a partnership with Samsung Electronics to make Nook tablets, as the bookseller moved forward with plans to revamp its digital business.<ref>{{cite web|title=Barnes & Noble Partners With Samsung to Make Nook Tablets|url=http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2014/06/05/barnes-noble-to-develop-tablets-with-samsung/|work=Fox Business|date=June 5, 2014|access-date=June 5, 2014}}</ref> Samsung and Barnes & Noble introduced the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 7.0 in August 2014, followed by the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 10.1 in October 2014. In December 2014, Barnes & Noble announced that it had ended its Nook partnership with Microsoft by buying back its stake.<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft, Barnes & Noble bring their weird Nook "partnership" to a formal end|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/12/microsoft-barnes-noble-bring-their-weird-nook-partnership-to-a-formal-end/|work=Ars Technica|date=December 4, 2014|access-date=December 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012094648/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/12/microsoft-barnes-noble-bring-their-weird-nook-partnership-to-a-formal-end/|archive-date=October 12, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Samsung and Barnes & Noble continue to introduce new Nook tablets.<ref>{{cite news|work=PC Magazine|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2490627,00.asp|date=September 2015|title=Samsung and Barnes & Noble introduced the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK|first=Angela |last=Moscaritolo}}</ref>

In March 2016, Barnes & Noble announced it would close the Nook App Store and Nook Video and in the UK close the Nook Store on March 15.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/3/4/11160942/barnes-noble-nook-app-store-shutting-down-march-15th |title=Barnes & Noble is shutting down the Nook App Store on March 15th|work=The Verge|access-date=March 4, 2016|first=Micah|last=Singelton|date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> The company continues to sell e-books as well as digital magazines and newspapers in the US.

In 2021, the company announced the release of a new 10-inch Android-based tablet, which is named the Nook 10" HD, in a partnership with Lenovo, the manufacturer of the device.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Barnes & Noble Introduces New NOOK 10" HD Tablet Designed with Lenovo|url=https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-releases/barnes-noble-introduces-new-nook-10-hd-tablet-designed-with-lenovo/|access-date=2021-03-19|website=Lenovo StoryHub|language=en-US}}</ref>

==College bookstores spin-off== {{main|BNED}}

Barnes & Noble formerly had a subsidiary, Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, that specialized in operating campus bookstores at colleges and university. While these stores also sell standard Barnes & Noble products, they are specifically dedicated to textbook sales. In 2015, the college operations were spun off into a new separate company, Barnes & Noble Education, now doing business as BNED.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Milliot {{!}} |first=Jim |title=B&N Will Separate College from Trade, Nook Units |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/65708-b-n-will-separate-college-from-trade-nook-units.html |access-date=2026-03-07 |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en}}</ref>

==See also== {{portal|Books|Companies|New York City}} * ''Book'' magazine, which Barnes & Noble partnered for thirty-one issues through to the end of 2003, and its demise * Book Stacks Unlimited * List of book distributors * List of bookstore chains * List of group-0 ISBN publisher codes

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite news|author=Kirkpatrick, David D.|url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/biz/features/47/ |title=Barnes & Noble's Jekyll and Hyde|magazine=New York magazine |date= July 19, 1999}} * {{cite news|author=Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A.|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303626804579507321532982730?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303626804579507321532982730.html |title=What's Barnes & Noble's Survival Plan? Former CEO Cuts Holding to 20%, but Says, 'The Story Isn't Written Yet'|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date= April 18, 2014|url-access=subscription}} * Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Iuct6UkKs7o Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20181119195828/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuct6UkKs7o Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuct6UkKs7o|title=The Rise And Fall Of Barnes & Noble|publisher=CNBC|date=2018-11-08}}{{cbignore}} * [https://gigaom.com/2015/02/26/barnes-noble-is-splitting-up-its-businesses/ Barnes & Noble is splitting up its businesses (again)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330020457/https://gigaom.com/2015/02/26/barnes-noble-is-splitting-up-its-businesses/ |date=March 30, 2022 }}

==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{official website}} * [http://www.secdatabase.com/CIK/890491/Company-Name/BARNES-%26-NOBLE-INC Barnes & Noble SEC Filing]

{{Bookstore Chains}} {{ebooks}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes and Noble}} Category:Barnes & Noble Category:1886 establishments in New York City Category:2019 mergers and acquisitions Category:American companies established in 1886 Category:Book selling websites Category:Bookstores established in the 20th century Category:Bookstores in Manhattan Category:Chain bookstores of the United States Category:Companies based in Manhattan Category:Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange Category:Ebook suppliers Category:Music retailers of the United States Category:Online retailers of the United States Category:Private equity portfolio companies Category:Privately held companies based in New York City Category:Retail companies established in 1886