Monday 14 February 2011

Borders 14th January 2010

I see, with some sadness, today, that The Wall Street Journal is reporting the impending demise of the Borders Books chain. They are about to, indeed by the time you read this, may well have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to provide them with protection while they try to wind up the business as smoothly as possible.

Borders, as much as Barnes and Noble, are almost an institution for the book buying portion of the American public, but have been hit by a double whammy. Firstly the inexorable rise and rise of Amazon and the web sales companies, and secondly by the more recent rise of the e-book readers. Barnes and Noble, may have been able to beat off both challenges, certainly the B&N web presence is slicker and of course they have the Nook, the e-book reader they are hoping to challenge Amazon’s Kindle with.

Over here, the rise of the supermarket book shelves, coupled with the influence of the Net and the e-book reader are taking their toll. WH Smith are probably safer than companies like Waterstones, but the loss of Borders, rumoured for so long, must be sending shockwaves through the retail sectors worldwide.

These stores are a national institution, they’re too important to be allowed to fail. No?

If you want to try that line, tell it to the staff of Woolworths.

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