Barnes and Noble Eying European Expansion

Posted on November 2, 2009

Barnes and Noble is considering expanding into Europe, according to The Bookseller. The bookseller wants to expand its online store, BN.com, and has hired Russell Reynolds Associates to find a new head of international business.

[Techcrunch] reports that the job entails building the international business for BN.com from scratch, hiring the team and "building the infrastructure outside the US".
In the late 1990s Barnes & Noble was rumoured to be looking into a move into the UK, and reportedly even began hiring executives to oversee the development, before its US rival Borders trumped it with the acquisition of Books Etc. Its website BN.com has fought a 10-year battle against the rise of Amazon.com, and recently launch its own e-book reader, the nook in competition to Amazon.com's Kindle.

The online bookselling and ebook readers wars are heating up. Europe is the latest battleground for online bookselling and Barnes and Noble wants to win the war. Amazon.com and Borders are just as determined that won't happen.