Borders Readies New Strategy Just like the flailing chains in the UK that suddenly realized the Internet matters, Borders indicated it will introduce a new online strategy that may include a change in its five-year relationship with Amazon. That’s just part of a larger strategy that new CEO George Jones will unveil next February or March. He said, “We need to differentiate ourselves so that a customer is willing to drive by our competitor’s stores for certain products we carry. We want to focus on certain key categories where we will really stand out.” Bloomberg Students Sue Over Textbook Pricing […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, November 27
Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace.com if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut Giller Prize and Governor General’s Award-nominated author Rawi Hage’s DE NIRO’S GAME, […]
Lunch for Wednesday, November 22
Better Bad News for Borders Borders’ bad quarter was a little less bad than forecast. Their big loss of $39 million was in line with analysts’ expectations and the company’s own guidance, while sales of $852 million were higher than Wall Street was prepared for. Most importantly, same-store superstore sales (comprising $583 million) actually rose 1.8 percent, rather than falling as projected. In remodeled stores, “the cafe and gifts and stationery categories were the strongest performers.” International sales were $144.6 million, up almost 15 percent, as same-store sales fell 0.3 percent — good in comparison to the other ailing book […]
Lunch for Tuesday, November 21
What Else Can We Say? We know IF I DID IT is going away, but that’s still about all we know. We don’t know how it came about; who owns the underlying rights now; where the money went (and how much); and what happens to Judith and those who are supposed to supervise her. Did Rupert Murdoch and his senior executives actually mean their apology (“We are sorry for any pain this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown-Simpson”)? If so, they will disclose who was paid for the rights to the project and how much, rather […]
Lunch for Monday, November 20
Simpson: “Closure, Not Money” Indeed On Friday, Borders Group announced that they will not profit from Harper’s OJ Simpson book, and will donate the net proceeds to a national organization that assists domestic violence. Borders’ Ann Binkley says in the statement that “the book will be available for sale” at all of their stores “because we believe it is the right of customers to decide what to read and what to buy, but we will not discount the title or promote it.” In a survey conducted by AbeBooks of 979 booksellers, 96 percent of the respondents claimed they would not […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, November 20
Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut Actress Courtney Thorne-Smith’s OUTSIDE IN, a comedic novel that captures the sparkling […]