A Profitable Period
by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 5/24/2004
The strong sales increases posted by Barnes & Noble, Borders and Books-A-Million swung all three chains from a loss in last year's first period to profits in the most recent quarter. B&N had the best performance in the quarter in terms of operating margin (2.8%) and same-store sales growth (9.4%). B&N's results exclude revenue and losses from Barnes&Noble.com. The number of new stores opened in the quarter reflects the aggressive plans for B&N in the year (35 stores) and the more modest plans for Borders (25) and BAM (eight).
| B&N | BORDERS | BAM | |
| Sales | $966.5 | $838.1 | $108.5 |
| Op. income | $27.0 | $6.7 | $2.5 |
| Op. margin | 2.8% | 0.8% | 2.3% |
| Comp sales | 9.4%* | 4.3%* | 7.1% |
| New stores | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| *Same-store sales growth at superstores. |
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