Barnes & Noble Has Better-Than-Expected Holiday

Barnes & Noble Inc. said Thursday that Nook sales plunged 55% in the holiday season, amid plans by the largest U.S. bookstore chain to separate its struggling, but profitable, retail businesses and weak Nook operations.

Overall sales in the Nook segment, which includes the devices and accessories as well as digital content, fell to $56 million. Device and accessories sales fell 68% to $28.5 million, while digital content sales were down 25% to $27.4 million compared with a year ago.