Barnes & Noble Reports Holiday Sales - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS) reported holiday sales for the nine-week holiday period ending January 3, 2015. The Retail segment had sales of $1.1 billion, increasing 0.2% over the prior year. The company said its sales benefitted from the continued stabilization of physical book sales and growth in the educational toys and games and gift departments. Excluding the impact of timing difference, total Retail sales would have declined approximately 1.6%.

"Core" comparable bookstore sales, which exclude sales of NOOK products, increased 1.7% for the comparable holiday period. Total comparable bookstore sales, including NOOK products, declined 0.6%.

The NOOK segment (including digital content, devices and accessories), had sales of $56 million for the nine-week holiday period, decreasing 55.4% as compared to a year ago. Device and accessories sales were $28.5 million, a decrease of 67.9% from a year ago. Digital content sales were $27.4 million, a decline of 25.0% compared to a year ago.

Based on the better than expected Retail Core comparable bookstore sales performance, the company now expects full-year Retail Core comparable bookstore sales to be approximately flat. The company maintained its outlook on total Retail comparable bookstore sales to decline in the low-single digits, College comparable store sales to decline in the low-single digits and full fiscal year EBITDA losses in the NOOK segment to decline versus the prior year.