This holiday season could be the last make-it-or-break-it chance for Barnes & Noble. The results of the 2018 Q4 sales period will be extremely telling and will allow us to better answer the question of: “Is Barnes & Noble close to selling its ownership?”
Previously, 2017’s Q4 produced dismal results for B&N, probably not helped by there bring no breakout book hit to help propel holidays sales. However, it still may be too soon to say whether or not 2018 will be the same.
Last year’s disappointing numbers led to its heavily criticized dismissal of a majority of Barnes & Noble’s staff. However this year, political themed books seem to be the latest trend in the market as Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” and Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury” are dominating the bestselling charts. Perhaps these bestsellers are pushing enough copies to help propel Barnes & Noble’s sales numbers and keep them afloat for another year. It has already given them good results for their 2018 Q2 sales period.
But the online book retailer isn’t going down without a fight. In addition to testing out new concept stores, they are unveiling a new ad campaign, just in time for the holidays.
Barnes & Noble has announced that it has had some “acquisition interest” from several parties and has admitted to coming close to officially selling ownership. There is no word currently if Barnes & Noble is proceeding with a sale now.
Read more about Barnes & Noble’s possibly ownership sale at CNBC.