By Will Sturgeon, 10 December 2004 09:45
NEWS 10.12.99: Bookseller, Barnes & Noble, has done a deal with IBM to offer print-on-demand books from spring next year. Customers at its chain of stores or online shops will be able to order any book from its back catalogue.
Print-on-demand allows booksellers to dramatically cut inventory on less popular titles because they can be printed from scratch in about five minutes. It also means that effectively no book is out of print.
10.12.04: Bookshelves may be far from obsolete, but many in the ecommerce industry may have their concerns that Barnes & Noble isn't all that far off.
The idea of e-books certainly hasn't 'gone the distance'. B&N ditched those last year.
The company last month announced continued falling financials and was hit by a subsequent share slump. B&N has appeared in declining health relative and in many ways aligned to rival Amazon.com's phenomenal growth.
In 2002 talk of a de-listing amid the decline was rife as the company got sucked into the market despondency which rocked all business online and offline. In recent years, however, the company has rallied slightly, but its recent profits were still down year-on-year.
Like many in the ecommerce sector the company will be hoping for a bumper Christmas period to boost its end of year financials.
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