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Barnes & Noble To Close More Stores: Would You Miss The Ones Nearby?

Company announces it'll shut down 20 stores a year over the next decade.

Do you still shop at Barnes & Noble bookstores?

Apparently not enough people go to B&Ns nationwide.

Company executives told the Wall Street Journal they plan to close 20 stores a year over the next decade.

No specific stores have been targeted yet for closure.

In the Seattle area, there are about a dozen Barnes & Noble stores, including two in Bellevue – one downtown and one at Crossroads Bellevue shopping center, and stores in Woodinville, Issaquah and Lakewood.

If no new stores were opened, that would reduce the number of Barnes & Noble stores nationwide by a third, the Huffington Post reported.

Since 2003, the company has been closing 15 stores a year, but they've also been opening more than 30 a year.

Last year, however, Barnes & Noble closed 14 stores and didn't open any, the Huffington Post reported.

One reason is a steady decline in book sales. Print book sales have decreased 22 percent over the past five years, according to Nielsen BookScan.

If your Barnes & Noble closed, would you miss it? How can bookstores compete more effectively in this electronic age? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Caroline Chapman May 15, 2013 at 09:40 am
Looks like the video didn't upload! Here's the link: http://youtu.be/eXxaNgTAk0s