Waterstones Shows Profit, But B&N Is a 'Big Mess' - Publishers Weekly

Today Panzer decided to make a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. With some digging in the posts pile, our traveling kitty discovered one about Barnes and Noble.

According to the post by Ed Nawotka, in Waterstones' recently released financial reports the company posts a profit. The figures cover Waterstones' sales from the time of Elliott Advisors' purchase of the company in April 2018 to April 2019.  However, Waterstones' CEO James Daunt reports Barnes and Noble is a 'big mess.' CEO Daunt took over running Barnes and Noble after Elliott Advisors' June 2019 purchase of the company. Barnes and Noble's Christmas retail sales were down. Daunt attributed this to the company's exit from some sales models and the return to its core bookselling business.

Alcohol and books?

Panzer says, "This little kitty wonders if the Barnes and Noble restaurants will go away."

Note: This is a long-short length post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Amazon Could Be as Big as Walmart In About Four Years or So - The Digital Reader

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to The Digital Reader site. With no digging at all he found a post about Amazon and Walmart.

The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder's post addresses the issue of Walmart's late entry into the online sales market. Although Walmart's overall sales size is three times bigger than Amazon, the post states Amazon could overtake Walmart in size in four years. The post includes a lot of information about online sales. End of the year financials comparing online sales revenue show Walmart's increased 44 percent verses Amazon's 31 percent. However, the percentages are misleading. Walmart had lower online sales to begin with, so a 44 percent increase is actually smaller than Amazon's 31 percent on larger beginning online sales. The post includes quotes from press releases. There are also links to financial reports, but Walmart's report wasn't secure and couldn't be viewed.

None of it makes sense to me.

Panzer says, "All those numbers and percentages gave this little kitty a headache and he couldn't make heads nor tails of what the post was trying to say."

Note: This is a huge post. Bring half a thermos of tea and six muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon and Walmart

After Another Disappointing Quarter, B&N Unveils Turnaround Plan - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took our traveling kitty to the Publishers Weekly site. With just a little digging he found a post about Barnes and Noble.

According to Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble has announced the company's third quarter financial results. (This quarter included the holiday season sales.) The financial results announcement showed revenue fell 5.3 percent. In conjunction with the financial results CEO Demos Parneros announced a new strategic plan to bring the company back to profitability. The first step was begun in February with layoffs to rein in employee costs. According to Mr. Parneros this will be a long term effort for the company. The post includes information about the strategic plan.

Sometimes smaller is better.

Panzer says, "This little kitty wonders if there are any leases ending on under performing bookstores."

Note: This is a short-medium post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Amazon.com to Webcast Fourth Quarter 2017 Financial Results Conference Call - Press Release

Panzer was just entering the Catosphere today when he heard some interesting noises from ahead of the Panzermobile. Following the trail of sounds took our brave kitty to the Press Room at Amazon. There he found a press release about Amazon's upcoming fourth quarter financial results.

Now where did I put Mom's tablet?

According to the press release, the company's conference call will be webcast live on Amazon.com on February 1, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. PT.

Panzer says, "This little kitty will be watching to find out what's going on with Amazon's fourth quarter financial reports."

Note: This is a short press release. In fact the post title above and Panzer's reporting tell you just about everything that's in the press release. If you do decide to go to the Press Room, you won't even need any tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon

What the Big 5's Financial Reports Reveal About the State of Traditional Book Publishing - Book Business

Today, Panzer found some interesting information at the Book Business site about the big five traditional publishing companies' financial reports.

According to the post by Thad Mcilroy, three of the Big 5, (Hachett, HarperCollins, and Simon and Schuster) had losses in sales over the same period last year, one (Macmillan) did not report their sales figures, and only one (Penguin Random House) had an increase. The post is a little confusing because it compares figures from different reporting periods for the companies. The end of the post speculates on which publishing companies might be candidates for mergers/takeovers.

Me...OW ... OW. My head hurts.

Panzer says, "Make sure you have an aspirin (or headache tablet). You'll need it by the time you finish the post."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Big 5