Daytona Beach Students Credited with Keeping Local Barnes & Noble Bookstore Open

Third Grade Class at Tomoka Elementary School Wrote Letter to CEO on Behalf of the Community

New York, NY – December 4, 2017 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest retail bookseller, today announced that its bookstore in Daytona Beach will stay open thanks to the support of the third grade class at Tomoka Elementary on behalf of the community. When the third grade students found out that their favorite store was slated to close due to an expiring lease, they wrote a heartfelt letter to Barnes & Noble CEO Demos Parneros. Mr. Parneros was so moved by the letter that he personally intervened so that Barnes & Noble and the landlord were able to extend the lease for one year while the company explores new locations in the area.

“The students letter meant so much to everyone at Barnes & Noble and reminded us all of the special place that we occupy in the communities we serve,” said Mr. Parneros. “We don’t take that lightly and we work everyday to make sure we’re there for our customers.”

Third Grade teacher Shaina Belsky said, “My students were so upset when they heard their local Barnes & Noble might be closing. I decided to make it a learning moment for them and challenged them to find solutions to problems, not just complain about them.  With that in mind, we decided that we had best go right to the top!  We wrote a letter to the CEO of Barnes & Noble, Demos Parneros, explaining all of the reasons why the store was vital to our community.”

To celebrate the students’ achievement, Frank Morabito, Vice President of Retail Operations at Barnes & Noble, is going to visit the third grade class at Tomoka Elementary School on Friday, December 8, at 9 AM, and thank them for helping to save their local Barnes & Noble bookstore on behalf of the Company. Local dignitaries will also be in attendance including Carl Persis, School Board Representative for Volusia County Schools, Rachel Hazel, Director of Curriculum for Volusia County Schools, and Area Superintendents including Susan Freeman, Rose Roland and Gary Marks, plus several others. All will be available for media interviews.

Media are invited to come and cover the event and should RSVP to Alex Ortolani at [email protected] or (212) 633-3379. Media call time will be 8:30 AM.