It should be no surprise that the war of words continues in the proxy fight between Ron Burkle and Barnes & Noble, with both sides embarrassing themselves in exaggerting the situation and claiming the mantel of “independence” to which neither is entitled. The most notable part of Yucaipa’s latest response from yesterday to accusations from […]
Archives for August 2010
California In Broad Digital Licensing Deal with Big Textbook Publishers
California’s giant state university system (with over 425,000 students on 23 campuses) is starting a pilot digital course content licensing program with the major textbook companies–Macmillan’s Bedford/Freeman/Worth, Cengage Learning, McGraw-Hill Education, Pearson, and Wiley. Senior Director of Academic Technology Services Gerard Hanley says “the purpose of the Digital Marketplace is to provide everyone access to […]
People, Etc.
Executive chairman of Australia and New Zealand bookstore giant RedGroup Retail (comprising Angus & Robertson; Borders ANZ; and Whitcoulls) Rod Walker is leaving his job. He took over after the Borders acquisition. The company says they have obtained the waiver from their loan covenants that they were seeking in the wake of reduced EBITDA of […]
Borders Better Idea? Paid Rewards Program
Back in actual bookselling, today Borders announced a new solution to their longtime “rewards” problem. For years the company has hailed their tens of millions of enrolled rewards program members as a key to a planned turnaround, but they have regularly failed to convert those memberships into meaningful results. Now they will follow Barnes & […]
eReaders: Price Cuts and Kindle in Staples
Borders is trying to keep up with the price cuts on ereaders, lowering the tab on their Kobo reader $20, down to $129. They are dropping the Aluratek Libre price by a similar amount, now at $99.99. Separately, the AP reports that Staples will join Target in carrying all three models of Kindle readers in […]
Today’s Book Chain News In Perspective: BN and Borders Are Both Closing Big City Stores–And One of Them Is Selling Teddy Bears
As you may know, Barnes & Noble announced yesterday that they will close their big 60,000-square-foot Lincoln Center store in New York at the end of the next January after being unable to negotiate an acceptable lease after 15 years in the location. Spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating said “the increased rent that would be required […]