Declining sales are to blame for Barnes & Noble Bookseller’s (B & N) decision to lay off employees across the nation, which affected local Barnes & Noble employees on Feb. 12 and Bakersfield. That B&N announced the layoff and appointed Timothy Mantel as Chief Merchandising Officer all on the same day, seems more than mere coincidence, and with a lineup of famous celebrities available for book signings during the month of March, the likes of former President Jimmy Carter, former President Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea Clinton, and actor Sean Penn, the store may see an increase in book sales, at least in its New York location.

Mantel’s main role as Chief Merchandising Officer is to increase sales revenue and company profit. Last year’s dip in sales have preempted the decision to hire Mantel, according to B & N press release.

CEO Demos Parneros, praised Mantel for his “deep knowledge of retail and proven track record and stated that these strengths were what B&N needed to revitalize merchandising strategy and generate growth. It is a strategic plan that B & N needs to implement to try to dominate the book supplier market, as it had done in the past.

They plan to focus to reduce expenses which they project will increase their profits bottom line by end of year.