Page 26 - #203 November 2025

INTERVIEW

Leading by the Book

As the man The largest retail bookseller in the the company remains on a very strong
who turned US, Barnes & Noble (B&N) today has over growth trajectory.”
600 bookstores across the country, having
The company is in a state of near constant
around opened 57 new locations in 2024 alone, as expansion; for example, the day before we
Waterstones well as operating its online bookstore at spoke with James, the company had opened
and is now BN.com. The business also controls the a new site on the outskirts of Seattle where
transforming NOOK® Digital business, which offers first day sales reached almost $100,000.
Barnes & eBooks and an audio book subscriptions Back in September the business unveiled
Noble, James Daunt has rewritten service, the SparkNotes educational the opening of its new Pasadena, Maryland
bookstore, which offers close to 14,000sq ft
service and stationery and gift retailer
the rules of bookselling. Here the Paper Source. of books, toys, games, magazines, gift items
CEO of Barnes & Noble talks to The business is owned by Elliott and more in a space formerly occupied by
RLI about creating bookstores Advisors (UK) Limited and run by CEO Party City. The design of the Pasadena store
that thrive by thinking locally, and bookseller James Daunt, who is showcases the ambition of B&N to create
empowering staff and putting also Managing Director of Waterstones exceptional local bookstores that marry the
readers back at the heart of retail. bookstores in the UK and Founder and best traditions of independent bookselling
Owner of Daunt Books. with the resources of the historic chain.
“Of course, taking over B&N in 2019, The Pasadena location was just one of
we more or less went straight into the three new B&N bookstores that opened
pandemic, which as you can imagine was that month, alongside new stores in Florida
very unhelpful,” explains Daunt. “But today, and Washington.
the team and I have the business working As the list of offerings in the Pasadena
This page. Chicago, Illinois, US much better. We have a sharp focus on site highlights, B&N are very successful
Right page main image. New York City,
New York, US improving the book shops and we are now in selling things other than books. While
3. Westport, Connecticut, US zoned in on expansion. We open around they are first and foremost a bookstore and
4. Georgetown, Washington D.C., US 60 new stores a year, all across the US and a bookseller, they are very strong in the toys