| Type | Public (NASDAQ: BAMM) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Specialty) Entertainment |
| Founded | In 1917 in Florence, Alabama |
| Founder(s) | Clyde W. Anderson |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama, United States |
| Number of locations | 200+ |
| Key people | Clyde B. Anderson, Executive Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer Douglas G. Markham, Chief Financial Officer Terrance G. Finley, EVP, Chief Merchandising Officer |
| Products | Books-A-Million Booksellers Joe Muggs |
| Revenue | US$509 million (FY 2010)[1] |
| Operating income | US$21.7 million (FY 2010)[1] |
| Net income | US$13.8 million (FY 2010)[1] |
| Total assets | US$273 million (FY 2010)[2] |
| Total equity | US$115 million (FY 2010)[2] |
| Employees | 5,500 (2008)[3] |
| Website | http://www.booksamillion.com |
Books-A-Million, Inc., also known as BAM!, is a company that owns the second largest U.S. bookstore chain and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.[4] The company operates over 200 stores in the South, Midwest, and Northeast United States. As of 2010, the company had about 5,500 employees.
In addition to its flagship Books-A-Million superstore division, the company also operates the stores branded Books & Company and book and greeting card stores under the name Bookland. The company's stores mainly operate within either shopping malls or lifestyle centers. Most Books-A-Million stores feature Joe Muggs cafés. Additionally, there are a few standalone Joe Muggs newsstands. These are located in the Birmingham area.[5][6]
In addition to its primary retail component, the corporation includes a book wholesale and distribution subsidiary, American Wholesale Book Company (AWBC), an e-commerce division operating as booksamillion.com,[7] and an internet development and services company, NetCentral, in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2011, Books-A-Million became the second largest book retailer in the United States after the announcement from larger rival Borders Group that it was liquidating all of its assets and going out of business.
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Bookland was the precursor to Books-A-Million. It began as a newsstand started by Clyde W. Anderson. The profits from the stand allowed him to buy a bookstore, which was then inherited by his sons. They opened new stores and incorporated them under the name Bookland in 1964.[8] Bookland survives as a subsidiary of BAM, focussing on smaller stores, though the number of their stores has shrunk significantly from what was at one point 72 locations[8] to 24 different locations[9] in the US, mostly dispersed through the southeast.[10]
The Books-A-Million superstore is the main retail entity of the Books-A-Million corporation. The first superstore was opened in 1988,[8] though the company didn't post on the NASDAQ until 1992. Today there are 181 Books-A-Million superstores.[11][12] The stores range in size from 8,000 to 36,000 feet, most typically around 30,000[13] They sell a range of goods including books, periodicals, gifts, and food offered in the Joe Muggs newsstands.[14]
Books-A-Million purchased the original Books & Co. store, located in the Dayton, Ohio area, in 1992. A second Books & Co. store, also in Dayton, was opened in 2006. The original Books & Co. store closed on July 17, 2011 and was set to reopen as a 2nd & Charles used bookstore in August 2011.[15]
BooksAMillion.com is the website for the Books-A-Million superstore chain, launched in 1998, but is specifically listed as its own brand.[16] The site offers online dealings in essentially what the superstore also offers, including books, ebooks, toys and gifts, audio, magazines, movies, and music.[14]
NetCentral was acquired by Books-A-Million in 1998,[8] in order to manage their recently opened website. The company is classified in "On-Line Data Base Information Retrieval" and located in Nashville, TN.[17] Upon acquisition, NetCentral "designed and developed the newly refurbished web site for Books-A-Million"[8] The unit designed the current logos for Books-A-Million.[18]
Joe Muggs are coffeehouses within Books-A-Million superstores. Books-A-Million began including Joe Muggs cafes in their superstores in 2001.[8] Books-A-Million owns and operates the brand. There are a few standalone Joe Muggs Newsstands.[19][20] The cafe is similar to the Starbucks chain, offering coffee and pastries.
2nd and Charles is a division of Books-A-Million that specializes in trading used books, audio books, CDs, DVDs, video games, game systems, vinyl records and accessories.[21] They buy and sell based on the condition and popularity of the product.[22] [23]
Yogurt Mountain is a division of Books-A-Million acquired on April 1, 2010. According to the press release, "Yogurt Mountain, an exciting self serve yogurt concept features 16 rotating flavors all of which are fat free or low fat and offers over 50 toppings for consumers to choose from. Yogurt Mountain's stores cater to the growing trend in healthy foods in a unique and entertaining environment." Yogurt Mountain currently operates over 30 locations in 14 states.[24]