700 Sites Scored in 72 Hours. 5 Prime Locations Secured.
When Party City declared bankruptcy, Books-A-Million used GrowthFactor to evaluate 700 locations before competitors could react — securing 5 prime retail spaces and saving $3M+.
Bookstore chain · 260+ locations · Birmingham, AL · Booksamillion.com
Download PDFPrime retail spaces secured in high-traffic shopping centers
The Challenge
Party City declared bankruptcy in December 2024. BAM had less than 72 hours to evaluate 700 prime retail locations and determine bid values before the auction closed. Traditional analysis would have taken weeks.
Results
Prime retail spaces secured in high-traffic shopping centers
Analysis completed in hours instead of weeks
Avoided overbidding on 15 sites that didn't meet criteria
Entered high-potential markets with zero cannibalization
How They Use It
The workflow
- 1
Emergency activation
Team mobilized within hours of bankruptcy announcement
- 2
Bulk site scoring
All 700+ Party City locations scored against BAM's success criteria
- 3
Pattern matching
Compared each site to BAM's top 25% performing stores
- 4
Competitive mapping
Identified sites with low bookstore competition + strong retail synergies
- 5
Bid recommendations
Data-driven pricing for auction strategy
- 6
Real-time support
Instant analysis as auction dynamics evolved
Growth at a Glance
The numbers
| Hour 0 | Team activated |
| Hour 4 | 700 sites scored |
| Hour 12 | Top 50 ranked |
| Hour 36 | Bids finalized |
| Hour 72 | 5 locations secured |
Bottom Line
Projected 18-month payback on all 5 locations. Competitors were still gathering basic data when BAM had already closed.
“GrowthFactor accelerated our team's new store site selection process, allowing the team to expedite the review of hundreds of potential sites as part of a complex bankruptcy auction.”
Matthew Furnas
Vice President, Books-A-Million
More Stories
See how other teams use GrowthFactor
Books-A-Million
After one year as a Labs Partner, BAM's new stores are performing at a different level — 14.1% higher sales per square foot. Their CFO ran the numbers himself and put the return at 8.9x.
Read storyLil Sweet Treat
Lil Sweet Treat used GrowthFactor's platform to 4x their footprint across Boston, Philly, DC, and Chicago — evaluating 120+ sites a month with no analysts and no additional headcount.
Read storyMulti-Location Veterinary Group
Retail site selection tools weren't built for veterinary. GrowthFactor builds custom models trained on your actual clinic portfolio — so every new site decision is backed by what drives your business, not generic benchmarks.
Read storySee GrowthFactor in action
Book a demo to learn how AI-powered site selection can transform your expansion strategy.