Barnes & Noble to Open Columbia, South Carolina Superstore in Winter of 1997.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 30, 1996--Barnes & Noble, Inc., today announced it has signed a lease agreement to open a 21,000 square foot store in Columbia, South Carolina. The store, expected to open in November of 1997, will be located at 3400 Forest Drive.

Barnes & Noble is the originator and premier operator of book superstores in America. Its flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York has been widely recognized as the most authoritative bookstore in the country, and perhaps, the world.

The new Columbia Barnes & Noble superstore will carry over 150,000 different book titles offering customers an extensive choice on every imaginable subject in a spacious and comfortable atmosphere. "Barnes & Noble operates under the philosophy that each store is unique to its community. We customize each store's selection to reflect the interests and lifestyle of our customers," said Steve Riggio, Chief Operating Officer. "Before a store opens, our buyers spend considerable time studying the community and its local publishers and authors. After the store opens, our store manager has the responsibility to further adjust the selection to meet their customers' needs."

The store will also feature a Barnes & Noble Cafe which will serve Starbucks coffee, cappuccino, espresso and the full-leaf teas of The Republic of Tea in a classic bistro setting. Cold drinks will also be available, as well as a variety of reasonably priced gourmet sandwiches and desserts.

Barnes & Noble has combined an unparalleled selection with experienced booksellers and innovations in ambiance and service to create a store where customers are comfortable spending their leisure time. The store's staff will develop an ongoing calendar of events ranging from poetry readings, book discussion groups, and author signings. As with the store's book title selection, the events will be designed to respond to the specific interests of the Columbia community.

Barnes & Noble's reputation for excellence has been built from its solid foundation of knowledgeable booksellers. "There is a strong bookselling culture at Barnes & Noble," said Riggio. "We employ more than 20,000 experienced booksellers nationwide, most of whom are college educated, who are schooled in the art of bookselling and are passionate about the world of books and ideas. Our managers live and work in the communities they serve and most of them have spent their lives there. It's a very rewarding job." Next year the company will begin to look for experienced book lovers to fill staff positions in the new Columbia store.

In addition to stocking 150,000 titles, Barnes & Noble's express special order service will order any book from the more than 1.2 million books in print. "Our stores handle an average of 500 special orders per week, most delivered within seven days," said Riggio. "It's amazing! We find the more titles we stock, the more titles people want."

Since 1965, the company has been owned and operated exclusively by booksellers. Len Riggio, later joined by his brother Steve, built the business from one location into what is now the nation's largest bookseller. The company takes pride in the experience of its long-standing management team and hundreds of booksellers who have been with the company for many years.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. operates 428 superstores under the Barnes & Noble, Bookstop and Bookstar tradenames and 614 mall stores under the B. Dalton Bookseller, Doubleday Book Shops and Scribner's Bookstore tradenames. Barnes & Noble, Inc. also publishes books under its own imprint for exclusive sale through its retail stores and nationwide mail-order catalogs.

CONTACT: Barnes & Noble, Inc., New York

Jennifer Wolfertz, 212/633-3389