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What Can We Learn from Barnes & Noble's Surprising Turnaround?
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What Can We Learn from Barnes & Noble's Surprising Turnaround?

Ted Gioia
Ted Gioia, 2023
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

In 2018, venerable brick-and-mortar bookseller Barnes & Noble faced declining revenues and lacked a recovery plan. New CEO James Daunt came aboard in 2019 to rescue a company on the brink with a daring new strategy: sell books you love to customers who love books. Daunt cast doubt on industry-wide practices and gave power to frontline workers as he began rebuilding brand trust. In his Substack column, musician and cultural critic Ted Gioia tells the inspiring story of an improbable corporate comeback led by a man whose first act was to question the received wisdom of his business.

Take-Aways

  • Barnes & Noble is making a brick-and-mortar comeback.
  • CEO James Daunt generated B&N’s turnaround by questioning bookselling’s business fundamentals and focusing on books and people.
  • Daunt’s guiding principle: love what you want to sell.

About the Author

Music critic Ted Gioia is the author of several books, including The History of Jazz and Music: A Subversive History.

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