Woll believes, however, that Internet competition has and will continue to put the superstore concept under strain.
“Basically, I think the trend seems to be that, while the superstore concept in and of itself makes a good deal of sense, trying be all things to all people from an inventory and cash-flow standpoint doesn’t seem to make as much sense and, to a large extent, over time, has proven to be somewhat unwieldy,” he says. “You’re basically stocking a lot of inventory by choice that’s not moving.”
Niche Bookstore Revival?
One solution, Woll notes, is a re-embracing of the older concept of smaller stores pitching targeted titles. “This is coming to fruition with Borders Express, which is an offshoot of the old Waldenbooks days, the old mall days,” he says.
While Barnes & Noble spokesperson Carolyn Brown says the company has no plans to open anymore of its smaller-format B. Dalton stores, opening smaller stores has become a core business strategy for Chicago-based Barbara’s Books, which has its roots as a neighborhood bookstore in the city’s Oak Park section.
“I think that the reasoning behind [opening smaller stores] is, if the customer is not coming to you, you have to come to the customer,” says David Schwartz, general manager at Barbara’s Books. “Our formula for success is to open small, footprint-type stores in high foot-traffic areas.”
In addition to its neighborhood branches, Barbara’s operates stores at South Station in Boston, in Macy’s department stores in Chicago and Minneapolis, at Northwestern Hospital and the Sears Tower in Chicago, and at O’Hare and Philadelphia international airports. These smaller stores range in size from 700 square feet (Boston) to 2,800 square feet (Macy’s).
“These types of stores keep our business solvent, quite honestly,” Schwartz says. “We have a smaller footprint, so the inventory investment and overhead is smaller.” Net sales for the chain have been flat for the last three years, he reports, although the company expects a big jump in revenue this year with the opening of six new stores at O’Hare.
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Woll believes, however, that Internet competition has and will continue to put the superstore concept under strain.
“Basically, I think the trend seems to be that, while the superstore concept in and of itself makes a good deal of sense, trying be all things to all people from an inventory and cash-flow standpoint doesn’t seem to make as much sense and, to a large extent, over time, has proven to be somewhat unwieldy,” he says. “You’re basically stocking a lot of inventory by choice that’s not moving.”
Niche Bookstore Revival?
One solution, Woll notes, is a re-embracing of the older concept of smaller stores pitching targeted titles. “This is coming to fruition with Borders Express, which is an offshoot of the old Waldenbooks days, the old mall days,” he says.
While Barnes & Noble spokesperson Carolyn Brown says the company has no plans to open anymore of its smaller-format B. Dalton stores, opening smaller stores has become a core business strategy for Chicago-based Barbara’s Books, which has its roots as a neighborhood bookstore in the city’s Oak Park section.
“I think that the reasoning behind [opening smaller stores] is, if the customer is not coming to you, you have to come to the customer,” says David Schwartz, general manager at Barbara’s Books. “Our formula for success is to open small, footprint-type stores in high foot-traffic areas.”
In addition to its neighborhood branches, Barbara’s operates stores at South Station in Boston, in Macy’s department stores in Chicago and Minneapolis, at Northwestern Hospital and the Sears Tower in Chicago, and at O’Hare and Philadelphia international airports. These smaller stores range in size from 700 square feet (Boston) to 2,800 square feet (Macy’s).
“These types of stores keep our business solvent, quite honestly,” Schwartz says. “We have a smaller footprint, so the inventory investment and overhead is smaller.” Net sales for the chain have been flat for the last three years, he reports, although the company expects a big jump in revenue this year with the opening of six new stores at O’Hare.