Barnes & Noble Appoints Joe Gorman as Executive Vice President, Operations

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest retail bookseller, today announced the appointment of Joe Gorman as Executive Vice President, Operations. Mr. Gorman joins the Company from General Nutrition Centers (GNC) where he also served as Executive Vice President, Operations. He will report to Leonard Riggio, Executive Chairman of Barnes & Noble.

“Joe is a seasoned executive and given his wealth of retail experience we believe he is the perfect fit for our business,” said Mr. Riggio.

Mr. Gorman is a leading retail executive with more than 25 years of strategic, operational and entrepreneurial experience. In addition to his position at GNC, Mr. Gorman also held leadership positions at GameStop and Home Depot. At GameStop, Mr. Gorman created and grew a business unit dedicated to new strategic growth, leveraging the company’s core strengths in tangential businesses. At Home Depot, Mr. Gorman led the operational direction and execution plan for West Coast Division stores and employees.

At Barnes & Noble, Mr. Gorman will be responsible for uniting the Stores, Café and Real Estate teams, as well as providing sales, logistical and operational leadership to these teams to drive performance, growth and profitability.

Mr. Gorman’s expertise in retailing and operations has earned him many awards and notable accomplishments, including being named a High Potential Leader and Six Sigma Champion at GameStop and a Six Sigma Champion at Home Depot. Additionally, he is a guest lecturer for the University of Hawai’i’s Executive MBA program, a position he has held for nearly 15 years. He starts his new position effective today, March 19.