Bay Area bookstore chain Books Inc. has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization. According to a release, Chapter 11 will allow Books Inc. to continue operating “while it establishes a sustainably solid financial footing in response to annual revenue losses resulting from steadily rising operating costs and dramatically changing consumer buying habits exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.” The Berkley location will close on February 9, with some of its staff transferring to other stores, and the 10 other stores will continue operating during the court proceedings. The Bankruptcy Code allows Books Inc to “work with its landlords to adjust lease costs […]
Bookstores
Barnes & Noble Plans to Open Another 60 New Stores In 2025
After opening 57 new stores in 2024, Barnes & Noble hopes to add another 60 new locations in 2025, ceo James Daunt told a friendly reporter at FT. (Some people in the trade believe the quick sale of Sterling Publishing to Hachette Book Group in November was designed to help pay for that store expansion.) The FT doesn’t ask about store totals after incorporating the usual closures. The chain had 610 outlets at the end of 2023, and a representative writes to PL that the company ended 2024 with 653 stores overall, after balancing new locations with closed stores. That […]
Tattered Cover Laid Off 15 Employees Following Sale to BN
Colorado book chain Tattered Cover laid off 15 employees since its acquisition by Barnes & Noble this summer, retaining 51 staff people. Westword reports that staff sat for re-interviews during the transition process, resulting in the layoffs. The retailer’s June bankruptcy filing asserted that BN planned to offer employment to “substantially all” of Tattered Cover’s employees. Managing director Derek Holland said, “We now have 51 employees across all four of the Tattered Cover locations. We conducted a thorough rehiring process for all booksellers led entirely by me and all four store managers. Based on the results of those interviews, we let […]
B&N Workers Rally for Union Contract
On Thursday, Barnes & Noble employees rallied outside of its flagship store and corporate headquarters in Union Square to demand their first contract be reached by the end of the year. The employees of the unionized stores in NYC–Union Square, Park Slope, and the Upper West Side–are members of RWDSU, and were joined by workers from other unionized bookstores including The Strand and McNally Jackson. “The company’s refusal to pay a fair wage has thus far prevented the union from settling the first union contracts and getting union benefits, healthcare, and protection from store closure and relocation,” the union said […]
ABA Requests Tertulia Remove Bookstore Content
Book recommendation site Tertulia has used logos and content from bookstores without permission, according to Bookselling This Week. Tertulia hosts pages of “Book Recommendations & Book Mentions” from several stores, which include a list of books that the store has mentioned on Twitter, along with the text of the post. The pages also include stores’ logos and a link to their Twitter pages. Pages exist for prominent indies including Anderson’s Bookshop and BookPeople. As of today, one for Powell’s has been removed. Paul Bogaards, a spokesperson for Tertulia, said that bookstore content was included unintentionally. “They are legacy book mentions from […]
Bookselling: Walsh Opens California Bookstore
Former literary agent, WME executive and events entrepreneur Jennifer Rudolph Walsh has opened the Godmothers bookstore in Summerland, CA in partnership with cosmetics entrepreneur Victoria Jackson. Saturday’s grand opening included an appearance by local resident Meghan Markle. Last week, Jackson published WE ALL WORRY, NOW WHAT? through Melcher Media.