Community Corner

Report: Barnes & Noble Chairman Seeks To Buy Retail Stores

Leonard Riggio has made a bid for the store's retail assets, including the Bethesda location.

Barnes & Noble Inc. Chairman Leonard Riggio is seeking to buy the bookselling giant's retail assets, CNN Money reported.

Should the bid be approved, the sale would include the Bethesda location.

According to the report, the bookstores have struggled as the popularity of e-readers increases. Holiday sales at the company's bookstores and websites dropped nearly 11 percent last year, according to the report.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Barnes & Noble said it has put together an independent committee to review the proposal and to oversee any negotiations, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The company in January said it would close some of its retail stores over the next 10 years, though a spokeswoman told Patch that there were no plans to close the Bethesda location.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The potential sale wouldn't include the division that oversees Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader, according to The Times.

Related content:

  • Bethesda Barnes & Noble Safe Amid Retail Store Closures


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here