Posted on: Friday, May 20, 2005

Barnes & Noble expanding

By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer

Giant bookseller Barnes & Noble plans to add a second Hawai'i location, joining the retail mix at Ala Moana Center with a 26,000-square-foot store expected to open in November.

The New York-based book retailer yesterday announced it has signed a lease with the state's largest shopping mall for the store to occupy street-level space formerly used by J.C. Penney Co. next to the satellite city hall on the mauka side of the center.

Ala Moana, which has a small Borders Express bookstore that was previously Honolulu Book Shops then Waldenbooks, had been seeking a full-scale book retailer since J.C. Penney closed two years ago.

"We have the small-format bookstore," said Sharon James, regional marketing vice president for mall owner General Growth Properties.

"The large full-service bookstore was missing in our merchandise mix."

James said she couldn't comment on whether Borders Books & Music, which is Barnes & Noble's chief rival, is expected to keep its Borders Express store at the mall. "They're staying open for now," she said.

The new Barnes & Noble store plans to stock 200,000 book, music and magazine titles. Wireless network service and a cafe serving Starbucks coffee also are planned.

Barnes & Noble operates 821 bookstores in 50 states.

In Hawai'i, the company opened its only store in 1995 at Kahala Mall.

The expansion to Ala Moana follows a plan announced in March by Borders Books & Music to open a store at Pearlridge Center in September, filling 22,603 square feet of former J.C. Penney space.

At Ala Moana, new retailers have opened in much of the former Penney space, while General Growth has commitments for what remains of the 140,000 square feet carved from Penney's 220,000-square-foot department store on four levels.

Reach Andrew Gomes at 525-8065 or agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com.