Barnes & Noble reports strong holiday

New York City -- Barnes & Noble said on Thursday that its same-store sales rose 9.7% in the nine week holiday period ended on Jan. 1. It was the chain’s best comparable-store sales performance in more than a decade. Total sales for the period rose 8.2%.



The company said it significantly exceeded both online and in-store sales forecasts, led by strong consumer demand for Barnes & Noble's Nook brand of eReading products.



In addition to the success of the Nook product line during the holiday season, physical book sales, especially hardcover books, were better than expected, and the company continued to experience strong performance in its toys and games department, where sales increased 48% during the holiday period.