Barnes and Noble May Close Hundreds of Stores: Report

For the past decade Barnes and Noble has closed an average of 15 to 20 bookstores a year — most of them reportedly unprofitable.

With the 2016 just days old, there is a report that the largest bookseller in the country is posed to “several decrease” the number of stores on its roster.

The Stamford Barnes and Noble is one of the anchor stores of the Stamford Town Center mall. The bookseller moved to its current location after the Town Center completed an expansion and renovation in 2007. The Stamford store, located in the space that formerly housed Filene’s and JC Penney, is the largest store the chain has in Connecticut.

Barnes and Noble operates over 647 bookstores in the United States, according to goodreader.com. “The number of bookstores will severely decrease April 30th, 2016 when over 442 leases are up for renewal. This represents substantially more than half of its stores,” goodreader.com reports.

While it’s not known how many leases will be renewed, the former Barnes and Noble retail group CEO Mitchell Klipper reportedly said the chain plans to have only 450 stores by 2022.

Photo credit: StamfordTownCenter.com.