Science of Success: How Barnes & Noble Is Redesigning the Bookstore Chain

Bold Names

The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 26 April 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What does the brick and mortar bookstore of the future look like? For Barnes & Noble, it looks more like the indie bookstores they once threatened to put out of business 20 years ago. The company recently redesigned their national chain of over 500 bookstores, shedding the big box personality in favor of a look reminiscent of local bookshops. On this week’s Science of Success, WSJ columnist Ben Cohen speaks to Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt about the look, feel and idea behind Barnes & Noble’s new indie design. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: [email protected] Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Further reading: That Cool New Bookstore? It’s a Barnes & Noble. New CEO Wants to Make Barnes & Noble Your Local Bookstore Barnes & Noble’s New Boss Tries to Save the Chain—and Traditional Bookselling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:15.8	Head to Netzweed.com.
0:20.8	Barnes & Noble was once the enemy of independent bookstores.
0:24.5	The chain even inspired the fictional villain Fox Books in the 1998 romantic comedy You've Got Mail.
0:36.7	We don't want this super store.
0:38.9	Is that what they're saying?
0:40.9	Catchy, yeah.
0:41.9	But these days Barnes and Obel is trying to be more like its former competitors.
0:46.9	America's biggest badest bookstore chain has invested millions of dollars to rebuild
0:50.9	its stores to be more like the Indies it once threatened to put out of business.
0:54.8	Why?
0:55.8	The problem that the big chain book sellers have had is that commercial life post-amazon became extremely
1:02.0	difficult and most of them went bankrupt.
1:05.0	You know some big names just no longer exist.
1:08.0	That's James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble since the company was taken private in 2019.
1:14.0	Don took the reins right before U.S. bookstore sales bottomed out.
1:17.6	They declined every year from 2008 to 2019 and cratered in 2020 2020 according to federal data.
1:23.0	His plan to save the company and its nearly 600 bookstores
1:27.0	is to combine the power of a big chain
1:29.0	with the pleasure of a beloved indie.
1:31.0	There might not be anyone on the planet more qualified for this particular job.
	...

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