Barnes & Noble Ceo Resigns

William Lynch Jr. has resigned as ceo of Barnes & Noble (New York), two weeks after a devastating earnings report showed the book retailer fighting a losing battle against powerful rivals like Amazon.

Michael Huseby, cfo for the past year, has been named president of Barnes & Noble and ceo of the Nook division. Max Roberts, ceo of the college division, will report to Huseby, and Huseby and Mitchell Klipper, ceo for the retail stores, will report to chairman and founder Leonard Riggio.

Some observers feel the moves are a step toward separating the company’s digital and retail divisions. Barnes & Noble has been in talks over a potential sale of its digital assets as well as its 675 bookstores.

Microsoft Inc. (Redmond, Wash.), considered a potential buyer of the Nook business, acquired 17.6 percent of the division in 2012.