Quote:
Originally Posted by MV64
The physical stores actually did surprisingly well, relative to how they were doing, I think. I think the "decline" of bookstores has bottomed out. The industry is recalibrating and it may have found a relatively stable, if not overly profitable, place to rebuild from.
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They say that every year.
They *are* declining, just not collapsing.
That 2.2% decline is not inflation adjusted so it is closer to 4% just as last year's "slight increase" was really a slight decline after the 3% inflation was factored in.
There is no bottoming out any time soon; B&N made it clear when they said they woud continue to close stores and reduce their total count of stores for the next ten years.
What they are doing is managing a forced downsizing and trying to avoid a Borders' style implosion. Stability, if it comes, is years away.