Barnes & Noble hires Demos Parneros as c.o.o.

American bookselling chain Barnes & Noble has appointed Demos Parneros to the role of chief operating officer, effective immediately.

Parneros will report to Len Riggio, chairman and c.e.o. of Barnes & Noble, working closely with him on all aspects of company operations including stores, merchandising, e-commerce, systems and real estate.

Parneros joins Barnes & Noble from Staples, Inc., where he was president of North American stores and online. He has 30 years of leadership experience in various aspects of retail management, including operations, human resources, merchandising, e-commerce, marketing and real estate. Mr. Parneros started his career at Staples as general manager of its first New York City store in 1987. He worked his way up the ranks through multiple management positions, including s.v.p. mid-atlantic operations, president of US Stores, president of US retail, and president of North American stores and online, where he was responsible for a team of 50,000 associates, across 1,800 stores, and Staples’ online business.

Riggio said: “We couldn’t be happier to have Demos join Barnes & Noble, given his wealth of experience in specialty retail. We believe his enviable track record will lend itself well to our priorities to grow our business and to bring value to our shareholders. Demos has been a strong leader throughout his career and we believe he will be successful in adapting to the bookselling industry.”

Earlier this year the company sacked its c.e.o Ronald Boire after just under a year in the post as he was "not a good fit for the organisation".