DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Does Barnes & Noble seem better positioned to prosper both due to its internal restructuring changes and external trends? Are there lessons for other retailers in its decentralized approach?
Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust:
I love bookstores and am so glad that B&N is recovering nicely. My kids bought me a Kindle for my birthday and I love it but it does not replace the feel of holding a book and hopefully never will. The ability for managers to make their own decisions and that empower them to tailor their selections to local tastes makes total sense, just as it does for grocery and many other retailers. Publishers need to do more, however, to add the human touch to the experience in the way of author talks and other in-store experiences as was done before COVID-19. The time to take advantage of the pent-up demand is now!
Read the entire article at Retail Wire:
Has Barnes & Noble turned the page?
Photo: Facebook/@BarnesandNoble