PW: Sales, Earnings Grow at B&N

Total revenues at Barnes & Noble rose 16% to $3.49 billion in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2000, with net income increasing 34.7% to $124.5 million. Revenues included $224 million from Babbage's, the software chain acquired by B&N last October. Excluding Babbage's, bookstore sales were up 8.5% to $3.26 billion.

Sales growth was led by B&N's superstores, where revenues rose 12.2% to $2.8 billion, and comparable-store sales increased 6.1%. Sales at Dalton fell 9.1% to $426 million, due to the closing of 89 stores in the year and a 0.1% gain in comparable-store sales.

The past year saw B&N's superstore rollout slow down; the company opened 38 new superstores and closed 16. It finished the year with 542 superstores and 400 Dalton outlets.