B&N is about to commit suicide: to spin off its Nook business

Kodak has been major player in photography for over the 100 years. Until it invented 13 pound camera that could record images digitally. The evolution of such digital camera and inability of Kodak to change with the consumer and the market will force the company into bankruptcy soon.

Barnes and Noble was founded about the same era with Kodak – late 19^th century. Unlike Kodak it did not invent digital book reader but did introduce its own Nook in October 2009. No sober analyst predicted the Nook to make a dent in Amazon’s Kindle business but you would need to empty several drinks before an idea of selling Nook arm (instead of brick and mortar arm) would come to mind.

“We see substantial value in what we’ve built with our Nook business in only two years, and we believe it’s the right time to investigate our options to unlock that value,” William Lynch, Barnes & Noble CEO, said in a statement.

If you are B&N shareholder the message is clear: Lynch is about to raise white flag above the headquarters. Value of B&N without digital is same as value of a gift’s wrapping paper.