COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 451211

Book Stores

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

37companies1837–1999founding years34still active3no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBonnier AB
1837
FoundedSoutham Inc.
1871
FoundedFollett Corporation
1894
FoundedPricewaterhouseCoopers
1898
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedArnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A.
1912
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1916
EconomyPiggly Wiggly opens the first self-service grocery store.
FoundedHMV Group plc
1921
FoundedPlante & Moran, LLP
1924
FoundedWalden Book Company Inc.
1933
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedFNAC
1954
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedDart Group Corporation
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
EconomyThe first Walmart opens, built on everyday low prices.
FoundedBooks-A-Million, Inc.
1964
FoundedHastings Entertainment, Inc.
1968
FoundedPowell's Books, Inc.
1971
FoundedGIB Group
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedMusicland Stores Corporation
1977
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedUnión Fenosa, S.A.
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedDeloitte Touche Tohmatsu International
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedFamily Christian Stores, Inc.
1994
TechnologyE-commerce begins to disrupt retail.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Bonnier AB →
Active · founded 1837 · Sweden
Bonnier AB is one of the Nordic region's leading media groups, losing out the top spot to Finland's SanomaWSOY in 2001.
Maruzen Co., Limited →
Active · founded 1869 · Japan
With a ranking among AsiaWeek magazine's top 1000 companies of 1996, Maruzen Co., Limited is one of Japan's largest and…
Southam Inc. →
Active · founded 1871 · Canada
Southam Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. →
Active · founded 1894
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Follett Corporation →
Active · founded 1894
The Follett Corporation operates the largest chain of college and university bookstores in North America, sells books…
KPMG International →
Active · founded 1897 · The Netherlands
KPMG International is the third-largest accounting firm in the world.
PricewaterhouseCoopers →
Active · founded 1898
The international partnership of PricewaterhouseCoopers is the largest accounting and business consultancy firm in the…
Éditions Gallimard →
Active · founded 1911 · France
Éditions Gallimard is the third-largest publishing group in France.
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1912 · Italy
Late 1980s:Battle for control of Mondadori begins between De Benedetti and Berlusconi.
Andersen →
Active · founded 1918
Andersen is the name encompassing Arthur Andersen LLP and other international entities that were members of Andersen…
HMV Group plc →
Active · founded 1921 · United Kingdom
Following the public offering, HMV began entertaining buyout offers for its Waterstone's chain, including a leveraged…
Grant Thornton International →
Active · founded 1924
Grant Thornton International is an accounting and management consulting firm serving private and public middle-market…
Plante & Moran, LLP →
Active · founded 1924
Plante & Moran, LLP is the tenth largest accounting firm in the United States.
Deb Shops, Inc. →
Active · founded 1932
Deb Shops, Inc.
Walden Book Company Inc. →
Active · founded 1933
Walden Book Company Inc., a subsidiary of the Borders Group, Inc., is a leading U.S.
Automatic Data Processing, Inc. →
Active · founded 1949
The undisputed number one paymaster to the nation, Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
FNAC →
Active · founded 1954 · France
The FNAC chain of retail stores is France's leading purveyor of what the company refers to as "cultural goods." The…
Standex International Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Standex International Corporation operates as a global multi-industry conglomerate that manufactures over 48,000…
Dart Group Corporation →
Active · founded 1960
Dart Group Corporation, a pioneer in discount marketing and in the concept of "superstores," is a holding company for…
MTS Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
MTS Inc., the little-known corporate name of the much more widely recognized Tower Records, is the second largest music…
Books-A-Million, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Books-A-Million, Inc., is the fourth-largest book retailer in the United States, with combined annual sales of $172.3…
B. Dalton Bookseller Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
B.
Hastings Entertainment, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Operator of a fast-growing chain of multimedia superstores, Hastings Entertainment, Inc.
Borders Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
Borders Group, Inc.
Powell's Books, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
Powell's Books, Inc.
Half Price Books, Records, Magazines Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
Through its chain of 64 stores in ten states, Half Price Books, Records, Magazines Inc.
GIB Group →
Active · founded 1974 · Belgium
GIB Group, Belgium's top retailer, is active in four sectors: supermarkets and hypermarkets; do-it-yourself (DIY) home…
DeLorme Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
DeLorme Publishing Company, Inc.
Musicland Stores Corporation →
Active · founded 1977
The leading specialty retailer in the United States of prerecorded music, movies, and audio and video accessories,…
Crown Books Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1981
One of the four largest retail bookstore chains in the United States, Crown Books Corporation operates almost 200…
Unión Fenosa, S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1982 · Spain
Unión Fenosa, S.A.
Ottakar's plc →
Defunct · founded 1987 · United Kingdom
Ottakar's plc is one of the United Kingdom's largest and fastest-growing retail booksellers.
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu International →
Active · founded 1989
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu International (DTTI) is the fifth-largest accounting and business services firm in the world,…
Ernst & Young →
Active · founded 1989
Ernst & Young is the fourth largest public accounting firm in the world.
Family Christian Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
Family Christian Stores, Inc., based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the nation's largest retailer of Christian-themed…
Indigo Books & Music Inc. →
Active · founded 1997 · Canada
Indigo Books & Music Inc.
SanomaWSOY Corporation →
Active · founded 1999 · Finland
Finland's SanomaWSOY Corporation leapt onto the broader European media scene with the 2001 acquisition of VNU's…
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