Bookstore chain Barnes & Noble is planning to open three new stores in the Houston suburbs, marking an expansion strategy that uses retail spaces previously occupied by other national chains. The company confirmed it will add locations in Spring, the Aliana community between Richmond and Sugar Land in Fort Bend County, and on Fry Road in Katy. With these additions, Barnes & Noble will have 15 stores in the Houston area.
In Aliana, Barnes & Noble has pre-leased an 18,000-square-foot building at the Market Center located at 10191 Grand Parkway. Property Commerce, the developer for this project, said construction is scheduled to begin within weeks and expects completion by spring or early summer. The retail center is nearly fully leased and anchored by H-E-B and Target. LA Architects designed the store’s site while U.S. Builders is handling construction.
Another store is set to open in mid-November at Grand Parkway Marketplace in Spring, which is anchored by Target. This location will occupy a 12,500-square-foot space that was previously home to Party City at 6600 Spring Stuebner Road. A third deal has been finalized for a nearly 22,000-square-foot former Party City space at Greentree Shopping Center (435 South Fry Road) in Katy; Ironbridge Realty confirmed this store should debut early next year.
These openings follow recent moves such as reopening a renovated Town & Country Village store in January and opening a new Conroe Marketplace location last July after Bed Bath & Beyond vacated its space.
The expansion comes as part of a larger turnaround for Barnes & Noble after years of contraction. In recent years, the chain has opened more stores than it did during the entire decade from 2009 to 2019—a period when it was acquired by Elliott Management for $475 million cash (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/business/barnes-noble-sold-elliott.html). By year’s end, Barnes & Noble expects to open more than 60 new locations nationwide and plans similar growth next year.
Barnes & Noble also recently purchased Books Inc., an independent San Francisco Bay Area chain, for $3.25 million (https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/94008-barnes-noble-to-acquire-books-inc.html).
James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, explained that their approach involves not only expanding retail presence but also sustaining local bookshops: “Over the past couple of decades the company has bought and maintained bankrupt independent regional bookstores.”
