Barnes & Noble Issues Layoffs After Poor Holiday Sales

NEW YORK (CBSLA/AP) — Barnes & Noble, the nation's largest bookseller, says it's laying off staff after a weak holiday shopping season.

The company declined to give the number of jobs cut.

The cuts come after New York-based Barnes & Noble said last month that its sales at established sales slid 6.4 percent during the crucial nine-week period ending Dec. 30.

Most retailers have strengthened digital operations and sales have followed. At Barnes & Noble, however, online sales dropped 4.5 percent.

As of April of last year, Barnes & Noble had 26,000 employees, 15,000 part-time and 11,000 full-time. It also had 633 stores at that time.

"Given our sales decline this holiday, we're adjusting staffing so that it meets the needs of our existing business and our customers. As the business improves we'll adjust accordingly. We want to assure our customers that this will not affect our commitment to customer service," a Barnes & Noble spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.

Amazon is winning over more people each year to its Prime membership program, at one point handing out trial memberships to 4 million people in one week. The Seattle-based Amazon has also opened more than a dozen physical bookstores so far.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)