Big-Box Bookstores Don’t Have to Die; Slate.com, 12/15/15

Stephen Heyman, Slate.com; Big-Box Bookstores Don’t Have to Die:

"While Barnes & Noble devolves from a bookstore into a thing store, Waterstones, the biggest bookstore chain in Britain, is plotting an entirely different course. In 2011, the company—choked with debt and facing the same existential threat from Amazon and e-books as B&N—nearly declared bankruptcy. Today, however, Waterstones isn’t closing shops but opening a raft of them, both big-box (in suburban shopping centers) and pint-size (in train stations). It has accomplished a stunning turnaround under the leadership of its managing director, James Daunt, who just announced Waterstones’ first annual profit since the financial crisis. How he pulled that off is a long story, involving old-fashioned business cunning, the largesse of a mysterious Russian oligarch, and some unexpected faith in the instincts of his booksellers."

Digital Divide Propels Barnes & Noble Past Rival; NPR, 1/6/11

NPR; Digital Divide Propels Barnes & Noble Past Rival:

"While Barnes & Noble was developing the Nook, Borders was already having financial problems, leaving it ill-prepared to make the investments needed to meet the challenges of the digital age.

Michael Norris, an analyst with Simba Information, says some of Borders' problems can be traced back to its leadership.

"They've actually been through quite a few executives over just a short number of years, and every time there's been an executive change, it basically slows the company down," he said. "And it just hasn't been as nimble or agile as it should have been."...

"There's always a possibility of a resurrection here, but at this point, it looks like Borders is probably the Tower Records of books," he said."