Borders has created expanded sections within some Michigan superstores focused on teen shoppers, providing graphic novels, fantasy and young-adult books together along with non-book merchandise focused on teens, and expects to roll-out the concept throughout nearly all of their superstores nationwide in August. The new sections take advantage of space previously used to sell music and dvds.WSJ
Bookstores
Bookselling: Reps Live with Electronic Ordering Tool; Fitten's 100-Store Tour and Blog; Efforts to Restart Seattle's Bookfest
* The National Association of Independent Publishers Representatives has now gone live with their electronic catalog/ordering tool, Frontlist Plus Universal, presenting fall 2009 lists from “more than 200 participating book publishers and primary distributors.” The service provides “new title data in catalog order” and promises to “eliminate countless hours of redundant data entry across thousands of industry sites utilizing diverse inventory-control systems.” The NAIPR (which operates as a nonprofit) says “publishers and master distributors pay a nominal fee per ISBN included in the program.” Their focus is on serving both “the buyer or inventory manager following up on their sales […]
Barnes & Noble Shifts Buying Team, Consolidates Proprietary Publishing at Sterling
Barnes & Noble announced two reorganizations internally earlier this week, one affecting the book chain’s buying team and the other related to their proprietary publishing programs. The buying/merchandising group has been realigned following the promotion of Jaime Carey in May to the position of chief merchandising officer. The company’s “supply chain czar,” vp of inventory management & vendor relations Joe Gonnella, now moves up to vp, adult trade, reporting to Carey, while continuing to oversee vendor relations. Antoinette Ercolano, who has held the buying position now being taken by Gonnella, moves over to a new job supervising regional buying and […]
As Tipped, Valco Buys Borders UK
As first indicated by the Independent earlier this week, claims that Borders UK wasn’t for sale were blatantly false, and restructuring company Hilco’s private equity arm Valco Capital Partners is indeed buying the chain from Luke Johnson, the Bookseller reports. Current chief executive Philip Downer will continue to lead the company after a management buyout in tandem with finance director Mark Little. No figures are included in the report, though it was thought that the ailing group would be unloaded for a nominal sum. Downer told the Bookseller in a follow-up story that among their immediate plans are a working […]
Bookselling: With Building Sold, Kate's Mystery Books to Close
The owner of Kate’s Mystery Books in Cambridge, MA has “finally” sold the building in which the store operates and will close the operation on August 1. But Kate Mattes writes: “I won’t actually disappear. We will be having author events at different venues and of course we will have the annual holiday party so there will be opportunities for the mystery community to get together.”Live Journal post
Bookselling: Borders UK May Have A Buyer; Taiwan Companies Pair for eBook Launch; Bookseller Advises Authors On Signings
While still denying that Borders UK is even up for sale and insisting that Clearwater Corporate Finance has been hired only to help “seek out funding opportunities,” it looks like the ailing chain may have a buyer, or at least a company ready to take it off their hands. The Independent reports that the private equity arm of restructuring company Hilco, Valco Capital Partners, “plans to acquire the entire shareholding of Borders UK and take the company forward.” Reportedly they are “offering to take on the Borders superstores, Books Etc and Borders Express shops in a deal that could save […]