Quote:
Originally Posted by Connallmac
I saw this article on Msnbc.com this morning and it paints a pretty grim picture for both Borders and Barnes & Noble, especially for the former. Could we possibly see both big chains slide into Chapter 11 next year? It seems a very real possibility, given the overall slide in book sales and the cannibalization of pbook sales by ebooks. Especially when you consider how late to the ebook game Borders was and the fact that it hasn't been a particularly well managed chain. Perhaps by this time next year we will have no Borders, and a smalled B&N chain?
|
The fly in this ointment is a hedge fund - Pershing Capital Management. Pershing owns about 40% of Borders Group stock, and has committed to help raise the funds for Borders to try to acquire B&N.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/1..._n_792449.html
Pershing will want to combine the two, close stores, cut costs, and try to boost the stock price of the resulting entity so they can make a healthy profit buying low and selling high. One question is whether the merged entity will be viable. Another question is who would buy Pershing's holdings. Brick and mortar bookstores aren't what I'd call an attractive investment at the moment.
______
Dennis