Exhibit 99.1
 |  |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| Media Contact: | Media Contact: | |||
| Mary Ellen Keating | Carolyn Brown | |||
| Senior Vice President | Director | |||
| Corporate Communications | Corporate Communications | |||
| Barnes & Noble, Inc. | Barnes & Noble.com | |||
| (212) 633-3323 | (212) 633-4062 | |||
| AND | AND | |||
| Investor Contacts: | Investor Contacts: | |||
| Joseph J. Lombardi | Kevin Frain | |||
| Chief Financial Officer | Chief Financial Officer | |||
| Barnes & Noble, Inc. | Barnes & Noble.com | |||
| (212) 633-3215 | (212) 414-6093 |
Barnes & Noble and Barnes & Noble.com Merger Completed
New York, NY (May 27, 2004)-Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, today completed its previously announced merger of Barnes & Noble.com with a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble. The merger was approved by the stockholders of Barnes & Noble.com at a special meeting held earlier today. As a result of the merger, Barnes & Noble.com became a privately held company, wholly owned by Barnes & Noble. Shares of Barnes & Noble.com Class A common stock, which prior to the merger traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “BNBN,” were delisted from trading as of the close of the market today.
ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is the world’s largest bookseller, operating 653 Barnes & Noble stores in 49 states. It also operates 188 B. Dalton Bookseller stores, primarily in regional shopping malls. The company offers titles from more than 50,000
Page 2
publisher imprints, including thousands of small, independent publishers and university presses. It conducts its e-commerce business through Barnes & Noble.com (http://www.bn.com).
Barnes & Noble also has approximately a 63% interest in GameStop (NYSE: GME), the nation’s largest video game and entertainment software specialty retailer with over 1,603 stores.
General financial information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate Web site:http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/financials.
SAFE HARBOR
This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” Barnes & Noble is including this statement for the express purpose of availing itself of the protections of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to all such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and represent the beliefs of the management of the company. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include, but are not limited to, general economic and market conditions, decreased consumer demand for the company’s products, possible disruptions in the company’s computer or telephone systems, possible work stoppages or increases in labor costs, possible increases in shipping rates or interruptions in shipping service, effects of competition, possible disruptions or delays in the opening of new stores or the inability to obtain suitable sites for new stores, higher than anticipated store closing or relocation costs, higher interest rates, the performance of the company’s online and other initiatives, the successful integration of acquired businesses, unanticipated increases in merchandise or occupancy costs, unanticipated adverse litigation results or effects, product shortages, and other factors which may be outside of the company’s control. Please refer to the company’s annual, quarterly and periodic reports on file with the SEC for a more detailed discussion of these and other risks that could cause results to differ materially.
# # #