BNED Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.

Margins & Returns

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (BNED) is a leading provider of educational products and retail solutions for K-12 schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States. Its operations are structured into three key divisions: Retail, Wholesale, and Digital Student Solutions. BNED facilitates the sale and rental of a wide array of learning materials, including new and used print textbooks, digital textbooks, and publisher-provided digital courseware. These resources are made available through its network of physical and virtual campus bookstores, and directly to students via Textbooks.com. The company further supports academic success with programs like First Day and First Day Complete, which streamline course material access. It also offers BNC OER+, a comprehensive, ready-to-implement digital content platform for higher education institutions, featuring videos, interactive exercises, and automated assessments. Beyond course materials, BNED supplies a diverse range of general merchandise, including collegiate and athletic apparel, school spirit items, lifestyle products, technology, essential supplies, graduation essentials, and various convenience goods. Through its wholesale operations, BNED procures, markets, and distributes both new and pre-owned textbooks. It additionally provides specialized hardware and a software suite to roughly 350 college bookstores, offering robust inventory management and point-of-sale capabilities. The Digital Student Solutions segment extends direct-to-student subscription services, including writing assistance and its flagship 'bartleby' platform. Bartleby provides comprehensive textbook solutions, access to expert Q&A, and on-demand writing and tutoring support. BNED's extensive retail footprint encompasses 805 physical college and university bookstores, 622 virtual bookstores, 8 True Spirit e-commerce sites, various pop-up retail setups, 73 bespoke cafés, and 11 standalone convenience stores. It also manages a dedicated media channel designed for brands aiming to reach the college student demographic. Established in 1965, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. maintains its corporate headquarters in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.