Barnes & Noble plans to close bookstores in Sundance Square and at University Park Village in Fort Worth, Tex., by the end of the year. David Deason, B&N's v-p of development, told the Star-Telegram that leases are up at both locations in January. The company had wanted to stay at University Park Village, but declined to pay higher rent sought by the landlord.
"We have made tremendous effort to secure an extension to our lease at University Park Village," Deason said. "However the owners of the property have communicated that they are committed to breaking the store up into smaller spaces for other retailers that will pay rents in excess of what we can afford. We had hoped that we could find a way to keep the store open, but there just was not interest from the property owner in this case."
