Superstores

Also known as big-box stores, superstores are stand-alone retail buildings that sell books. When they first came into the world of retail, they were independent stores rather than chains and were frequently in big cities instead of suburban areas. These large stores allowed for more stock, and therefore more options, than bookstores within malls because of all the space.

Famous Superstores

Some well-known superstores in the United States include Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. In Canada, the most popular superstore is Chapters and in the United Kingdom it's Waterstone's.