Barnes & Noble Bringing Booze to Books
By: Daniella Soloway
Barnes and Noble Inc. is bringing a new experience to its bookstores, with the hopes of livening up the atmosphere. The company plans to add eateries that will also serve beer and wine.
COO Jaime Carey was recently appointed to the newly created restaurant group, and shared plans to open four new concept stores in Eastchester, New York; Edina, Minnesota; Folsom, California; and Loudon, Virginia. With this novel idea (no pun intended), the bookseller hopes to push sales in non-book areas, such as toys and vinyl records.
With stagnant sales and slowed Nook e-reader business (thanks to Amazon), the new experiential addition is being praised by investors. After the announcement, shares shot up by nearly 8%.
