Popular Bookstore Chain Plans Expansion With New Stores In CT, Other States

SOUTHBURY, CT — Popular bookstore chain Barnes & Noble announced Wednesday plans to open a new store in Connecticut later this month, one of nearly 20 new stores the company has opened so far this year.

The book retailer also confirmed plans to open nearly 50 more stores in a number of states, including Connecticut, by the end of 2025.

New Southbury Store

A new Barnes & Noble bookstore is set to open June 18 in Southbury, according to a news release provided by the company.

The new bookstore will be located in the Southbury Green shopping center at 775 Main St S. in the space across from Home Goods formerly occupied by Gap, according to Barnes & Noble.

"We are very pleased to add another new Barnes & Noble to our fleet of Connecticut bookstores," CEO James Daunt said in a news release. "We are especially happy to take over one of the largest storefronts in Southbury Green. Our Southbury booksellers have been diligently stocking the shelves with a selection curated for the community and are eager to welcome customers into their brand new Barnes & Noble."

The new Southbury store will officially open to the public at 10 a.m., with author Terri-Lynne DeFino cutting the ribbon and signing copies of her books, including her newest release, "Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?"

The new store will offer books, as well as toys, games and gifts that customers have come to expect from the iconic bookseller, according to the company.

"I am very excited to be joining the Southbury community and can't wait to meet all of our new customers," Store Manager Sharon Ewing said in a news release. "I'm especially looking forward to having wonderful conversations about books and sharing the joy of reading."

Barnes & Noble Expands

The new Southbury bookstore comes during a period of tremendous growth for Barnes & Noble.

The company noted its strategy to "hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers" has proven successful, as Barnes & Noble has recently enjoyed strong sales in its existing stores and opened a number of new stores "after more than 15 years of declining store numbers."

In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019, according to the company.

The Southbury location is one of three new Barnes & Noble bookstores set to open in June, alongside new stores in Arizona and Virginia.

A Barnes & Noble spokesperson confirmed to Patch the company has opened a total of 18 stores thus far in 2025 as of Wednesday.

Those new stores are located in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Colorado, California, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska and Washington, according to the spokesperson.

Last month, Barnes & Noble opened its second Stamford store at the High Ridge Shopping Center, inside the space formerly occupied by DSW.

The spokesperson also confirmed that barring "any unforeseen delays in leases, construction [and] permits," Barnes & Noble plans to open another 48 stores this year in the following states:

• Connecticut
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Maryland
• Virginia
• Ohio
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Arizona
• Minnesota
• Kansas
• Idaho
• South Dakota
• Washington

Some of those states will receive several new stores, the spokesperson noted.

Store Openings In 2025

Barnes & Noble is just one of several companies to recently announce expansion plans for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026.

Furniture retailer IKEA confirmed in May the company has already opened four "plan and order" points with pick-up locations, as well as one pick-up point location, thus far in 2025.

A company spokesperson said IKEA plans to open three more stores and three more plan and order point with pick up locations before the end of the year, and two more are already in the works for 2026.

Walmart also confirmed last month about 10 new stores are scheduled to open by the end of 2025, five of which are set to open by September.

Meanwhile, popular hot dog chain Wienerschnitzel confirmed plans to add restaurants to multiple Walmart stores, starting with six owned and operated by local high-caliber franchisees.

Grocery store chain Wegmans Food Markets confirmed Friday plans to open a total of three stores this year, with one already open and two more scheduled to open this summer.

Culver's, a beloved fast food chain specializing in burgers, chicken and frozen treats, has already opened new restaurants in 15 states thus far in 2025 and has broken ground on new restaurants planned for communities in 12 states.

Restaurant chain Raising Cane's, which specializes in chicken finger meals and combos, recently announced plans for new locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut as the company continues to expand throughout the Northeast.