Books-A-Million

Books-A-Million (Nasdaq: BAMM) is the second-largest book retailer in the United States. The corporate office is located at 402 Industrial Lane in Birmingham's Oxmoor Industrial Park. In addition to its flagship superstores, the company also operates smaller stores under the Bookland and Joe Muggs names.

Brands and structure

Books-A-Million's primary business is done through a series of Books-A-Million superstores which feature a Joe Muggs coffee bar, which is also the name used for the company's free-standing newsstand operations. The company also operates shopping mall book and greeting card stores under the name Bookland. In addition to its primary retail component, the corporation includes two book wholesale and distribution subsidiaries, American Wholesale Book Company and Book$mart, Inc., both located in Florence, an e-commerce division operating as booksamillion.com, and acquired an internet development and services company, NetCentral, based in Nashville, in 1999. The Books & Company badge, formerly used on its Brookwood Village store to signal a more sophisticated and comprehensive flagship store, has been retired.

As of 2011 the company has over 200 stores in 23 states and the District of Columbia. As of 2010, the company had about 5,500 employees. It's 2005 sales totaled $503,751,000.00.

History

Books-A-Million was founded in 1917 as a street corner news stand in Florence, Lauderdale County by Clyde Anderson when he was 13 years old. He started out selling books, newspapers and fireworks out of a shed pieced together from old piano crates in order to support his siblings after the death of his father.

In the 1950s, under the guidance of Anderson's son Charles, the company greatly expanded its book store business, opening Bookland stores across the South. Books-A-Million superstores started opening in the 1980s as Anderson pursued the concept of making a bookstore into a destination retailer. In 1992, he took the company public.

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. The company purchased 14 of Borders' locations in August 2011. In late 2015 the Anderson family resumed controlling interest in Books-A-Million, making it a private company again.

Officers

The company is headed by CEO Terrance G. Finley, who is also acting as president and chief operating officer. Clyde B. Anderson, grandson of the founder, is Executive Chairman of the Board. Douglas Markham became Chief Financial Officer after Richard Wallington's retirement on July 5, 2006.

CEOs

• Clyde B. Anderson (?–2004)
• Sandra Cochran (2004–2009)
• Clyde B. Anderson (2009–2012)
• Terrance G. Finley (2012–present)

Greater Birmingham locations

Bookland

• Brookwood Village, Homewood (c. 1980s)
• Century Plaza, Birmingham (1970s to 1990s)
• Store #200, Riverchase Galleria, Hoover (1986?–January 13, 2007)

Books & Company

• Brookwood Village, Homewood (2002–2006, renamed to Books-A-Million)

Books-A-Milion

• Store #108, Propst Promenade, Alabaster (2005–present)
• Store #181, 5287 U.S. Highway 280, Brook Highland Plaza, Birmingham (?–present)
• Eastwood Mall, Birmingham (1989–February 25, 2006)
• 3429 Lowery Parkway, Colonial Promenade Fultondale, Fultondale (November 3, 2007–present)
• Store #180, Brookwood Village, Homewood (2006–present, formerly Books & Company)
• Store #220, Wildwood North, Homewood (c. 2001–September 2011)
• Store #202, Hoover Commons, Hoover (?–present)
• Store #216, 1624 Gadsden Highway, Colonial Promenade Tutwiler Farm, Trussville (2000–present)

Book$mart

• Wildwood, Homewood (October 1999–2000)

Joe Muggs

• Store #197, 2037 Cahaba Road, English Village, Mountain Brook
• Five Points South, Birmingham (?–May 1, 2005)
• Store #219, 238 Summit Boulevard, Ste. 219, The Summit, Birmingham (August 4, 2001–present)

References

• Milazzo, Don (June 9, 2000) "Old Navy sailing to Wildwood North location." Birmingham Business Journal.
• "Joe Muggs opens fourth, fifth newsstands" (August 7, 2001) Birmingham Business Journal
• "Books-A-Million joins shops in Alabaster" (January 5, 2005) The Birmingham News
• "5 Points' Joe Muggs to close" (March 29, 2005) The Birmingham News
• "Bookstore leaving Eastwood" (February 22, 2006) The Birmingham News
• Wilkinson, Kaija (June 23, 2006) "Books-A-Million takes steps to grow top line." Birmingham Business Journal
• "Bookland store at the Galleria closes" (c. January 2007) The Hoover Gazette.
• Goodman, Sherri C. (February 15, 2007) "Books-A-Million has room to grow." The Birmingham News
• Goodman, Sherri C. (April 1, 2007) "Birmingham business bound for success." The Birmingham News
• Cooper, Lauren B. (March 13, 2009) "Books-A-Million CEO Sandra Cochran resigns." Birmingham Business Journal
• Poe, Ryan (October 27, 2011) "Books-A-Million expands its BAM! brand." Birmingham Business Journal
• Poe, Ryan (March 13, 2012) "Books-A-Million names new CEO". Birmingham Business Journal
• West, Ty (December 10, 2015) "Books-A-Million completes $21M deal to go private." Birmingham Business Journal

External links

• Books-A-Million, Inc. company website
• BAMM.com online shopping