Here’s a Novel Idea for Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS): Sell Some Actual Books

Moving into the next phase of life
Borders proved the point years ago, and Best Buy has recently replayed it, but it’s pretty clear that the huge box-store model isn’t as sustainable as everyone thought it would be. Barnes & Noble could make the same scale-back move that Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) is making. The electronics retailer is focusing on its strengths, such as mobile, by increasing the floor space devoted to its winners and opening small locations with just mobile offerings .

Barnes & Noble could make a similar move, countering Amazon’s cheap shipping with small stores that focus on best-sellers, but that also offer free, quick ship-to-store facilities for non-best-selling titles. That would help the company increase its overall footprint, while keeping costs lower. If it were me, I’d consider shutting down a lot of the boxes and replacing them in the same communities with smaller locations.

Barnes & Noble finally feels as if it’s back in charge of its own destiny. The Nook was dragging the business around, and no one could think about the future without bringing tablets into the mix. Hopefully, Barnes & Noble can now focus on what it still does well — selling books.

The article Here’s a Novel Idea for Barnes & Noble: Sell Some Actual Books originally appeared on Fool.com is written by Andrew Marder.

Fool contributor Andrew Marder has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Amazon.com.

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