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Originally Posted by SensualPoet
Yeah, well, maybe. Keep in mind that at $12/sh Leonard Riggio's options are pretty limited. Frankly, the closing stock price for the past few years would only bring tears of joy to a downhill skier ....
Which, actually, is exactly my point: B&N has a lot of good stuff going for it -- retail presence, the college market, a billion dollar online business and a great brand name. I find it really hard t believe that a network of nearly 800 book-stores in the US can't find cost savings synergies beyond closing stores and firing staff. Geez: lots of people buy books and other stuff in bookstores. B&N has the opportunity to really thrive. BUT, it comes back to execution -- minding the details and ensuring the customer experience is as flawless as possible every time you touch the customer.
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Perhaps taking everything out of B&N's stores other than Nooks, books and the coffee shops and replacing them with Apple hard ware and tech support? Probably cheaper than some of the real estate some Apple stores are inhabiting now. If they aimed to take a real run at the personal computer business and doubling or tripling their market share in that arena.
If not I think that B&N's stores would probably only serve as boat anchors, especially with the cratering of the commercial real estate market that is soon to be coming to a city near you!