Barnes & Noble Store Closing Foreshadows Emphasis on Gadgets

B&N is a bookstore chain, but its e-book and e-reader business, as well as the rising preference for online shopping, has led to its decision to reduce the number of brick and mortar shops.

Barnes & Noble actually wants to compete with the likes of Amazon and Apple, and might start to diversify its hardware to do so.

And since it is easier to move products between fewer stores, a reduction in the number of run shops makes some sense.

B&N will reportedly close down 200 stores in the coming years, just like they closed around 15 per year over the past decade.

Since the total number of retail locations in the US is 689, that would bring the number down to around 450-500 ten years down the line.

Overall, it is a preemptive measure, as the stores actually make money, but they aren't expected to stay profitable for long.

That said, this move could be followed by more focus on e-readers and tablets, like the Nook HD+ in the photo above.