Latest news with #BarnesNoble
Reuters
06-08-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Bath & Body Works targets college bookstores to woo young buyers
NEW YORK, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Bath & Body Works (BBWI.N), opens new tab is going to college. Students at hundreds of U.S. universities will soon be able to buy the company's fragrances, candles and other items at campus bookstores, in a departure from the beauty retailer's long-held business model as it tries to lure coveted Gen-Z shoppers. Bath & Body has struck deals with bookstore operators like Barnes & Noble and Follett Corp to set up shops inside some 600 campus stores, where it will sell popular fragrances like Mahogany Teakwood and Champagne Toast, new CEO Daniel Heaf told Reuters. Schools include George Washington University, Boston College and Vanderbilt University. It is the first time that Bath & Body will sell items outside its own stores, but it won't be the last, Heaf said. "This idea of being either a wholesale brand or a direct-to-consumer brand is over," he said, adding that third-party distribution will be key to growth in the future. Boosting sales with Gen-Z is a priority for Heaf, who took the reins in May after a tough year that saw the company's shares removed from the benchmark S&P 500 index. The shares have lost 24% over the last two years, and closed at $28.93 on Tuesday. College bookstores could be fertile ground for gauging what younger buyers want without investing much capital, said Morningstar analyst Jaime Katz. It's also "a way to keep the conversation going with teen girls while they're ... not living with their parents anymore, not going to their usual places anymore," Katz said. An April survey by investment bank Piper Sandler found that, among teens, sales of fragrances were up 22% versus the same time last year, making it the fastest-growing segment in the beauty industry among teen shoppers. Before joining Bath & Body, Heaf held various roles at Nike (NKE.N), opens new tab, including running its direct-to-consumer business, which former CEO John Donahoe leaned heavily into after the pandemic, reducing the apparel brand's reliance on third-party retailers. That direct-to-consumer shift backfired, and Nike has since sought to repair its retail relationships. But analysts have attributed the failure more to a lack of fresh product than to the work of Heaf, whose reputation as an innovator remains solid. Katz believes Bath & Body's $29 share price could be a bargain, noting the company's strong operating margins and limited exposure to tariffs. One challenge Bath & Body faces, she said, is communicating to consumers the breadth of its product line, which ranges from soaps to lip balms to wallflowers. On that front, Heaf hinted that the company may seek to streamline offerings, focusing on the strongest sellers, and ramp up its digital presence. Bath & Body spends 3% to 4% of its revenue on marketing, but Heaf said he would rather concentrate on fewer, but deeper, campaigns to boost brand awareness. "Think about a video on Instagram that tells a story about the product," he said. "Building awareness leads to a delay in purchase, because you're capturing a new consumer. But it works. I've seen it work."
Forbes
16-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Lessons From Barnes & Noble: Surviving The Threat Of Amazon
When Amazon disrupted the bookselling business model in the 1990s, some established bookstores ... More folded while others persisted. The key to survival was in the so-called "opportunity framing" adopted by CEOs. Words matter. When a company is faced with a disruptive new business model, leaders can respond in a number of ways: They may brush it away as unimportant, they may sound the alarm about it, or they may urge their employees to get creative and adapt to the opportunity. Each response impacts the actions the company takes. And that, in turn, can make or break the company's future. In our research published in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, my co-authors Christoph Zott (IESE Business School), Andreea Kiss (Lehigh University) and I shed light on a subtle but powerful driver of corporate survival in the face of disruption: how CEOs frame the situation. Our findings stem from a study on the bookselling industry in the U.S. between 1996 and 2011. Throughout the 1990s, American bookstore giants Borders and Barnes & Noble ruled the industry with their megastores. But when Amazon came into the picture, with its new online bookselling model, both Borders and Barnes & Noble recognized the shift that it represented. Both invested in e-commerce. But only one survived. What defined this fork in the road? It wasn't about money or access to technological solutions. It was about leadership framing of the new business model and the way it was sustained over time, which impacted the direction taken by the two incumbents. The importance of CEO framing When Amazon first launched as an online bookselling company in 1994, both Borders and Barnes & Nobel were at their prime. Hundreds of stores across the U.S. offered an array of books and music, with each company worth billions of dollars. But the emergence of Amazon's new business model (online-only browsing with fast home delivery) shook the two retailers' foundations. Each company responded in its own way: while Barnes & Noble worked continuously on integrating the online business model with its traditional store model, Borders focused on its physical stores and managed the online business model separately. By 2007, Borders was no longer profitable, filing for bankruptcy in 2011 and closing all of its stores. Barnes & Noble managed to survive, with around 600 stores still operating in the U.S today. Several factors account for the stark difference in the two competitors' journeys – among them, that Borders was late to invest in e-commerce and never properly integrated it into their physical stores. Those decisions, which determined the companies' futures, were largely propelled by the way each firm's CEO framed the new online model. Barnes & Noble's CEO spoke about the internet as a transformative force and outlined concrete strategies like introducing in-store kiosks, integrating logistics systems and aligning salesforce incentives for in-store and digital sales. This sustained 'opportunity framing' galvanized internal support and led to what we call a blending logic of integrating online and physical stores. Borders, on the other hand, engaged in ambiguous and shareholder-focused framing. Its CEO framed the online model as a secondary, 'adjunct' business. What's more, Borders outsourced its online presence to Amazon for several years, foregoing an important learning opportunity for digital innovation. Why language matters Though rooted in bookselling, our findings can extend beyond the business of books. Today, one of the biggest disruptors is the introduction of AI into the workforce – whether it's creating images and texts for media or changing the way pharmaceutical companies do clinical drug trials. By looking at how legacy industries responded to disruptive business models in the past, we can extend those lessons to today's leaders so they can better navigate change. It's particularly difficult for established firms to adapt to new, emerging business models because incumbents are often set in their ways. There's resistance to disruptive challenges, especially for companies with an existing commitment to a business model that works and has been working well for some time. In our research, though, we found that a successful adaptation requires CEOs to frame new business model opportunities in four complementary ways: intense (signaling excitement and growth potential), concrete (clearly articulating how value will be created), future-oriented (focusing on the future potential, not just short-term risks) and inclusive (involving key stakeholders like employees, customers and partners). The key lies in persistence. Our analysis of Borders and Barnes & Noble shows it's not enough for a CEO to check those boxes once. What truly made the difference was sustained framing over time: repeated, emotionally resonant and specific communication that continually reinforced why the opportunity mattered and how the organization should respond. If a CEO wants to see real change in their organization, they need to engage in sustained opportunity framing, over the span of several years, in order to yield results and push the company forward. Our research adds to growing evidence that language is a strategic tool, especially in times of disruption. This research suggests that leading through disruption is not just about vision or strategy; it's about sustained, multidimensional communication. By framing new business models as exciting, specific, forward-looking and inclusive of stakeholders, CEOs can help steer their organizations toward innovation, even when the future is uncertain. By Yuliya Snihur, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at IESE Business School.
The Verge
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Barnes & Noble's Nook app has joined
The Nook app has started linking to outside purchases on iOS, too. Kindle and Spotify in making it easier to buy e-books and audiobooks on the iPhone. A recent update has added a new 'buy on option to the iOS app, as spotted earlier by Good e-Reader. The change comes after a judge ordered Apple to lift restrictions on web links and outside payment options, a decision that a higher court upheld earlier this month.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New business page-turner: National retailer expected to open soon in Abilene
There's no need to read between the lines to see progress is being made on the new Barnes & Noble in Abilene. Crews were seen renovating the interior of the soon-to-be bookstore Friday afternoon. The Barnes & Noble is located at 3417 Catclaw Drive in the shopping center with Michael's and Ross. In a February statement, a Barnes & Noble spokesperson said the store will open at the end of July unless unforeseen construction or permit delays occur. According to the corporation's career site, they are now hiring for full-time and part-time positions at the Abilene location. When is the southside Braum's opening in Abilene? Things to do for Father's Day in Abilene This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: New bookstore coming soon to Abilene
