Community Corner
Bethesda Barnes & Noble Safe Amid Retail Store Closures
The bookstore giant will close retail stores across the country in coming years, but a spokeswoman says there's no plans to close Bethesda's iconic downtown location.
Bookstore giant Barnes & Noble has plans to whittle down its retail stores, going from 689 stores to about 450 to 500 across the country in 10 years, according to news reports.
Mitchell Klipper, chief executive of Barnes & Noble's retail group, told The Wall Street Journal that Barnes & Noble has plans in the works to close existing stores and cut back on opening new ones, evening out to a loss of about 20 stores per year, The LA Times reported.
But according to a Barnes & Noble spokeswoman, Bethesda residents have no cause for concern. The iconic Bethesda Row retail store, a downtown Bethesda landmark, is not among those that will be closed.
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Retail bookstores are facing challenges from the growing popularity of e-books, The LA Times reports. Barnes & Noble competitor Borders went bankrupt in 2011.
In a statement released to Patch, Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said the company "has great real estate in prime locations and the company’s management is fully committed to the retail concept for the long term."
Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Do you frequent Bethesda's Barnes and Noble store? Do you use an e-reader, and if so, do you visit bookstores less often?
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