Publishers Weekly reports that Barnes & Noble has made 50 positions redundant—even executive positions, such as VP of merchandising Rob Wietrak. “A B&N spokesperson stressed that the company is reallocating resources to areas that are expanding, such as its digital operations,” Jim Millot writes, “but had no comment on how duties of the departed buyers and others would be divided up.”
Certainly it’s hardly a surprise that financially-troubled B&N is reorganizing, and eliminating executive positions will also eliminate executive salaries. Exactly what this will mean for B&N’s “digital operations,” such as e-books, remains to be seen, however.
(Found via The Bookseller.)
Reports elsewhere indicated that B&N pink-slipped pretty much their entire book buying section. Buyers and assistant buyers, many of whom had been with the company for many years, were shows the door. The publishers reportedly are more than a little concerned about who’s going to be making buying decisions for B&N, and whom their sales force should be contacting now.
My personal speculation is that B&N’s getting a lot of resumes from buyers and assistant buyers at Borders, and figures to save some money by switching horses.
Half of those lay-offs where in the BN.com division, so I’m not sure how that helps them focus on digital operations. BN VPs just like to lay people off so it looks like they’re doing something.