Barnes and Noble reported a loss of $59 million in its fiscal Q4 ended April 30th, up from $32 million in the same period a year ago.  Same store sales were down 2.9%, which the company attributed to the negative effects of Borders liquidation sales (see “Borders Store Liquidations Underway”).  B&N did say that as liquidating Borders stores have closed, it is realizing incremental sales in those markets. 

 

The company lost $74 million for the full fiscal year, compared to a $37 million profit for the year ended May 1, 2010.  Same store sales were up .7% for the year, with digital product sales increases more than offsetting declines in sales of trade books. 

 

BN.com sales were up 78% for the quarter and 65% for the year, driven by Nook and digital book sales. 

The company's stock dropped 5.96% on Tuesday, reflecting disappointment with the results. 

 

Barnes & Noble is evaluating a $1 billion takeover offer from Liberty Media (see “Liberty Media Offers $1 Billion for B&N”).