Barnes & Noble to Open Boca Raton, Florida Superstore in April 2001.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 2001

Internet Service Counters Will Offer Store Access to Barnes &

Noble.com

Barnes & Noble's Readers' Advantage Program Will Offer Additional

Discounts And Other Benefits

Barnes & Noble, Inc., the nation's largest bookseller, announced it has signed a lease agreement to open a new superstore at FAU Retail Center in Boca Raton, Florida. The 30,000-square-foot store, expected to open in late April, 2001, will be located at 1400 Glades Road.

"We are excited by the prospect of becoming a vital part of this dynamic community," said Alan Kahn, chief operating officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc. "Customers at the new Boca Raton Barnes & Noble will have access to millions of books in every imaginable subject, and a comprehensive range of CD, video and DVD titles. As a community institution, a significant percentage of the store's books will reflect the local lifestyles and interests of Boca Raton's customers."

The Boca Raton Barnes & Noble bookstore will feature an Internet Service Counter. The counter enables customers to order a book or other product through the Barnes & Noble.com Web site, www.bn.com, and have it delivered to the location of their choice (home, office or the store).

Readers' Advantage, Barnes & Noble's new membership loyalty program, will offer additional discounts and benefits at the new Boca Raton Barnes & Noble. For a $25 annual fee, members will receive an additional 10 percent discount at the store and an additional five percent discount at Barnes & Noble.com. The program benefits also include invitations to members-only events.

The Boca Raton Barnes & Noble bookstore will carry an extensive children's selection of books in an area designed especially for kids. The store's music department will offer more than 25,000 CD, video and DVD titles. Its Red Dot electronic music catalog, a touch-sensitive customer kiosk, features information on the actual location of CDs in the store. Listening stations will be available for customers to preview selected recordings. The store will also feature a Barnes & Noble Cafe, serving in a classic bistro setting Starbucks coffee, cappuccino, espresso; the full-leaf teas of The Republic of Tea; cold drinks; and a variety of reasonably priced gourmet sandwiches and desserts.

The new Boca Raton Barnes & Noble bookstore will develop an ongoing calendar of events, including poetry readings, book discussion groups, author signings, and children's story-telling hours, often featuring special guests. These events are designed to respond to the specific interests of the Boca Raton community.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) operates 559 Barnes & Noble and 378 B. Dalton bookstores, and, with its acquisition of Babbage's Etc. and Funco, Inc., is the nation's largest operator of video game and entertainment software stores. Barnes & Noble stores stock an authoritative selection of book titles and provide access to more than one million titles. They offer books from more than 50,000 publisher imprints with an emphasis on small, independent publishers and university presses. Barnes & Noble is one of the world's largest booksellers on the World Wide Web (http://www.bn.com), and the exclusive bookseller on America Online (Keyword: bn). Barnes & Noble.com has the largest standing inventory of any online bookseller. Barnes & Noble also publishes books under its own imprint for exclusive sale through its retail stores and Web site.

General financial information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company's corporate Web site: http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com.