Daunt: Centralized data kills bookstores despite working elsewhere in retail
James Daunt · The Barnes & Noble comeback, from the CEO who did it (James Daunt) · Aug 21, 2026 · at 6:40
Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt explains why centralized corporate data management and uniform store layouts fail in the bookselling industry.
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“And then we use the data to inf to impose uniformity on the stores. And that really is the death knell for us. It works in almost every other branch of retail. It doesn't work in books.”
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