Barnes & Noble: The Bookstore Turnaround and Pet-Gift Niche

Bookstores are an unlikely but real pet gateway, and Barnes & Noble shows how gifting, cards and a loyal destination crowd create a pet-gift niche.

Barnes & Noble: The Bookstore Turnaround

Founded: The modern Barnes & Noble retail chain was built after Leonard Riggio acquired the company in 1971; the brand’s bookselling heritage traces back further in New York City.
Founder / Key Builder: Leonard Riggio built the modern chain (the bookselling name itself dates to the 19th century).
Headquarters: New York City, New York, United States.
Ownership: Privately held and owned by Elliott Management (the investment firm acquired Barnes & Noble in 2019); sister company to U.K. bookseller Waterstones.
Scale / Revenue: Combined with Waterstones, the group reported roughly $3 billion in sales and about $400 million in annual profit as of December 2025.
Stores: More than 700 bookstores across the United States as of 2025/2026, up from below 600 as recently as 2023.
Workforce: Tens of thousands of booksellers (the company does not publicly disclose a precise headcount).
Leadership: James Daunt serves as chief executive officer, also leading Waterstones.
Customers: Readers, gift buyers, families, and community shoppers seeking a “third place” experience.

Destination Traffic and Gifting

Barnes & Noble operates large-format bookstores averaging roughly 15,000 to 23,000 square feet, carrying books, toys, games, magazines, gifts, a café, and its NOOK e-reader. The company’s revival is built on decentralization: under CEO James Daunt, local store managers were given authority over assortment and merchandising, replacing the old centralized, big-box model. This “local bookseller” approach improved relevance, cut returns, and drove strong sales in existing stores.

The buying format is curated rather than centralized at the SKU level. Stores receive a core range plus locally tailored selections, and the company has opened more new bookstores in a single year (2025) than it had across the entire decade from 2009 to 2019. For suppliers, this means opportunities are concentrated in gift, toy, game, and lifestyle categories where local managers can say yes to distinctive, high-margin products that encourage discovery.

Barnes & Noble’s café and events programming reinforce its role as a community gathering place, which lifts dwell time and gift purchasing. The company’s membership program (Premium and Rewards) drives repeat visits and gives local managers a vehicle for promoting distinctive products. For suppliers, the combination of local curation and a loyal membership base means a well-chosen pet-themed gift can achieve surprising velocity in the right store, even without a dedicated pet department. The expansion to more than 700 stores widens that opportunity materially.

Pet Gifts and the Niche Aisle

Barnes & Noble is not a pet retailer, and pet food, treats, and standard pet supplies are outside its assortment. However, the chain’s toys, games, and gifts departments create a genuine, if limited, crossover with pet-friendly consumer products. Relevant items include plush toys and comfort items that double as pet-themed gifts, pet-themed books and calendars, greeting cards and stationery, and seasonal gift items (for example, holiday pet ornaments or pet-owner mugs). The “discovery” shopping mindset also supports novelty pet-accessory gifts and children’s pet-care titles.

The supplier opportunity is in giftable, design-led pet products and pet-themed merchandise rather than functional pet care. Manufacturers of plush, stationery, calendars, and novelty gift items should view Barnes & Noble as a complementary specialty channel that rewards uniqueness and emotional appeal over utility.

Buying and Assortment at Barnes & Noble

Because Barnes & Noble is privately held under Elliott Management, its vendor terms are less standardized than public big-box retailers, but expectations remain professional. Suppliers of gift and toy items must meet U.S. consumer-product safety requirements (including CPSIA for children’s and plush items), provide clear English labeling, and supply sellable, shelf-ready packaging suited to a premium bookstore environment. The retailer’s curated model favors distinctive design, so product differentiation and storytelling matter more than lowest cost.

Minimum order quantities are modest relative to grocery or club channels, and local-manager empowerment can shorten the path from pitch to shelf for the right product. Exporters should approach through Barnes & Noble’s merchandising and gift-category buying channels, leading with photo-ready, giftable pet-themed products and a clear margin proposition. Demonstrated success in bookstores, gift shops, or museum stores is a strong credential.

2024-2026 Developments

Barnes & Noble’s turnaround accelerated: after falling below 600 stores in 2023, the chain surpassed 700 bookstores in 2025.
The company opened more than 60 new bookstores in 2025 (reported figures indicate roughly 67), the highest number in decades, with 60 or more additional stores planned for 2026.
New openings in early 2026 included flagship-style urban returns, such as a store in downtown Washington, D.C., and continued expansion into formerly abandoned city-center locations.
Parent Elliott Management advanced plans to take the combined Barnes & Noble and Waterstones business public, potentially in London, after selling the publishing arm Union Square & Co. to Hachette in late 2024 to create a pure-play retail entity.
The decentralized “local bookseller” strategy continued to drive both new-store growth and strong comparable performance in existing locations.

The Pet-Gift Niche Route

Barnes & Noble is a specialty, gift-driven channel rather than a pet-care destination. Pet suppliers should focus on pet-themed and pet-friendly gift products—plush, stationery, calendars, novelty items, and children’s pet books—that fit the bookstore’s discovery experience and local-manager curation. Winning here requires distinctive design and emotional appeal, not functional pet specification. Exporters with experience in gift, book, or museum retail can use Barnes & Noble’s aggressive new-store expansion as a growing, lower-volume-but-high-margin complement to core pet channels. Treat it as a branding and discovery opportunity, not a volume play.

Suppliers should also consider seasonal and regional tailoring: a pet-themed gift that resonates in a university town may differ from one suited to a suburban family store, and local managers are empowered to make those calls. Providing a small, flexible range with strong visual storytelling lets stores curate to their community. This is a relationship-driven channel where boutique pet-gift brands can punch above their weight, particularly when products tie into seasonal campaigns, book launches, or holiday gifting.

Barnes & Noble: The Bookstore Turnaround and Pet-Gift Niche