The NY Post has an interesting though mangled and incorrect story about college bookstores — so much so that one must read the whole thing with a bit of skepticism. For starters, they bury the lede: Privately-held Follett Corp. retained Morgan Stanley earlier this year and has been looking for a buyer, “according to a source with knowledge of the situation.” The company is likely to have suffered during the pandemic. Competitor Barnes & Noble Education saw college bookstore sales decline 22 percent in the past year. Follett also competes with Scholastic in school book fairs, with the latter reporting […]
Bookstores
Amazon to Try Larger Physical Stores
After relatively unremarkable experiments with small bookstores and shops selling miscellaneous well-rated goods (not to mention abandoned efforts at campus pick-up venues and mall pop-ups), next Amazon “plans to open several large physical retail locations…that will operate akin to department stores,” the WSJ reported. Early Amazon department stores are expected in Ohio and California, according to their sources, running around 30,000 square feet (or about the average size of book superstores in their heyday). The initiative has been in the works for some time: “Amazon approached some U.S. apparel brands roughly two years ago with the idea of opening large-scale […]
Bookselling: Long Island’s Book Revue to Be Evicted
After 44 years in business, Book Revue in Huntington, NY will be evicted on September 30 for nonpayment of rent, Newsday reports. According to landlord Emerson Dobbs III, the store didn’t pay rent for over a year. Store owner Richard Klein said that the store was closed for three months due to COVID, and that sales were slow after that. The store received $267,378 in PPP loans, which Klein says was used mostly for payroll and for one month of rent. “I thought we had an understanding that when the virus abated we would work out some kind of a […]
Greenlight Bookstore Employees Unionize
Thirty-nine employees at three Greenlight Bookstore locations in Brooklyn have voted to unionize, joining the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union – the same union joined by employees at McNally Jackson and Book Culture. According to the filing with the National Labor Relations Board, eligible employees include “all Full Time and Regular Part Time Booksellers, Shift Leaders, Sales Associates, Lead Sales Associates, Events Coordinators, Marketing Coordinators, Marketing and Design Assistants, Receivers, Direct to Home Employees, E-Commerce Employees, Staff Picks Liaison Employees, Buying Assistants, and Buyers.” Store managers, temporary employees, and supervisors are excluded. Co-owner Jessica Stockston Bagnulo said, “Greenlight intends […]
ABA Follows Up With Members After Offensive Incidents
ABA ceo Allison Hill sent a follow-up letter to members on Aug 5, explaining how recent incidents happened and detailing plans for the future. On the inclusion of the “anti-trans book” in the July white box mailing, the letter explains that up until now there has been no oversight into what is included in the boxes. While publishers do pay for white box inclusion, the ABA reports that they still lose money on it, which they “consider a service to members….” “Until now, no one has ever reviewed or screened the titles submitted by publishers. It has been a pay-to-play […]
Bookselling: Another Barnes & Noble Swaps Locations
Barnes & Noble will close their Cincinnati-area store in the Waterstone Center on August 22, and expects to open a new location at Deerfield Towne Center in Mason, OH in November. A similar swap was announced recently in the Chicago area, with the West Dundee location closing, and a new store in Algonquin Commons expected to open in October. In both cases, the announcements did not indicate the size of the locations, but other recent moves have featured smaller new locations.