Six years ago, in 2019, Barnes & Noble was about to go bankrupt, and now it is once again a bestselling bookstore, all thanks to James Daunt. The hedge fund, Elliott Management, the parent to Waterstones bought B&N and appointed James Daunt as the CEO. Since then, Daunt has made major moves and changes concerning cheaper retail spaces, ending specific publisher deals, and allowing stores to make personalized displays that fit their communities. Recently, he made an addition to the list of changes: redesigning the entire layout and aesthetics of the store to fit the store’s audience. The primary target is Gen-Z.
Gen-Z has reinstated hope for the future of bookstores because of the mass surge in young readers, massively due to BookTok. In fact, “Almost two-thirds (59%) of 16 to 25-year-olds say that BookTok or book influencers have helped them discover a passion for reading,” according to the Publishers Association. Booktok reaches past the screen, pushing readers to go into stores so much so that the Publishers Association found that, “49% of respondents visit a physical bookshop to buy a book they have seen on BookTok.” Because of this, Daunt knew he needed to change the previous design that he described as, “Quite a masculine aesthetic.”
One of these new locations was opened recently this past November. Barnes & Noble opened that store in Orlando, Florida, inside the Waterford Lakes Town Plaza. The plaza previously had a B&N, but it was closed after its lease expired. Daunt explained, “Happily, we have secured a new storefront just a few doors away from our previous bookstore. We look forward to welcoming back our longtime customers who we hope have missed us as much as we have them. This new, beautifully designed Barnes & Noble is a dramatic improvement on the old store.” This redesign he talked about is all in connection with the company’s choice to expand with 60 new stores. B&N has hope to achieve an aesthetic that includes an open, brighter layout that is geared towards their target audience.
This approach, however, does match the traditional branding background. Daunt commented on the new remodel, claiming, “Any design agency would have a heart attack if they could see what we’re doing.” He added, “We don’t have any architect doing our design at any stage. There’s no interior designer.” Even so, this new style has positively mixed with the customer base. It would start with positive reviews such as when, Rida Kola, grade 11, praised it saying, “I really liked the design of the bookshelves in the store, especially compared to the old design of the Barnes and Noble.” The choice of this new design not only impacts the brand at a service level but also its identity. Daunt emphasized, “The identity [of the company] would have a complete crisis,” referring to all the different parts of the branding process. He realized that, “It’s breaking all the rules.” But even so, it must have been the right rules to break.
Getting rid of the old and bringing in the new, Daunt thinks, “We’re much better off with something that’s bright, that welcomes the world.” This follows the common theme Daunt is presenting, which is being in touch with customers. It’s necessary to not only understand what the customer wants, but also what is being sold. Janine Flanigan, a project manager working at the company since 1985, explained that, “You need to love books, and you need to know how our customers shop for books,” to be successful. Ultimately, that’s what Barnes & Noble does best. Daunt highlighted, “The enjoyment and the social experience of that engagement with books in a bookstore? That’s our game.”
The mass chain is continuing to grow and expand to fit their customers’ needs. The company’s hard work has done nothing if not paid off as, “Barnes & Noble had an annual growth rate of three percent in 2023,” according to Zippia’s latest report. Simply put, if readers continue to enjoy the luxury book shopping experience, Barnes & Noble will continue to meet their needs. The future of reading rests in Gen-Z’s hands, and so far, it’s off to a great start.
