Leonard Riggio, the founder of Barnes & Noble, wants to buy back a slice of the bookseller he founded more than 40 years ago.
But he doesn't want anything to do with the Nook — just the stores and website.
So, what's the Barnes & Noble retail arm actually worth?
By some measures, Barnes & Noble's retail business may be worth "virtually nothing," Michael J. De La Merced at DealBook reported.
The overall company is valued at around $863 million and its total enterprise value is about $1.3 billion, according to S&P's Capital IQ.
In 2012, Microsoft and Pearson bought a 23 percent chunk of the Barnes & Noble's Nook division last year, which valued it at nearly $1.8 billion.
Obviously, Barnes & Noble won't just chuck its retail division away to its founder for free. It has nearly 700 stores and an e-commerce business.
But will it be able to sell it at a decent price?
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