[LINK] Pearson Buys Borders Australia and Angus & Robertson Web Businesses

[Jan Whitaker]

><http://click.publisherslunchdaily.com/cp/redirect.php?u=NTAwNnwzNDQ4OXxqd2hpdEBqYW53aGl0YWtlci5jb218NTY4NTkyfDc2MDIyMjM2fDc5OTM0Mg==&id=8888254>Pearson 
>Buys Borders Australia and Angus & Robertson Web Businesses
>
>In a different type of strategic acquisition, Pearson Australia has 
>acquired the online bookselling and ebook businesses of the bankrupt 
>REDGroup retail, which includes the online stores for Borders 
>Australia and Angus & Robertson. (The sites are 
><http://click.publisherslunchdaily.com/cp/redirect.php?u=NTAwNnwzNDQ4OXxqd2hpdEBqYW53aGl0YWtlci5jb218NTY4NTkyfDc2MDIyMjM2fDc5OTM0Mg==&id=8888255>http://www.borders.com.au/ 
>and 
><http://click.publisherslunchdaily.com/cp/redirect.php?u=NTAwNnwzNDQ4OXxqd2hpdEBqYW53aGl0YWtlci5jb218NTY4NTkyfDc2MDIyMjM2fDc5OTM0Mg==&id=8888256>http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/.) 
>They intend to retain 16 staff members associated with the 
>businesses, and will run the two sites separately for now. Pearson 
>also has an agreement with REDGroup's ebook partner Kobo that will 
>give "customers continued access to their eBooks purchased through 
>the Australian REDgroup online sites." Higgins tells Bookseller and 
>Publisher it's "a different deal" which the magazine said "reflected 
>the fact that Kobo would need to partner with bricks and mortar 
>retailers in future."
>
>Pearson Australia coo Dionne Higgins says in the announcement, 
>"REDgroup online has always enjoyed a strong market share, and an 
>incredibly loyal customer base and we see this acquisition as an 
>opportunity to further build this business. The team are committed 
>to providing customers with a great online shopping experience." 
>Pearson will run the businesses as an independent unit. Kobo tells 
>us, "for Pearson, we have an agreement in place to maintain service 
>and look forward to continuing our growth in Australia," reinforcing 
>the implication that going forward they will look for other 
>bookselling partners there. Vendor Tangent Communications has said 
>that they "will continue to be a primary e-commerce provider" to the websites.
>
>The Australian Booksellers Association is 
><http://click.publisherslunchdaily.com/cp/redirect.php?u=NTAwNnwzNDQ4OXxqd2hpdEBqYW53aGl0YWtlci5jb218NTY4NTkyfDc2MDIyMjM2fDc5OTM0Mg==&id=8888257>hoping 
>that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will look 
>into Pearson's acquisition of the Borders Australia and Angus & 
>Robertson websites. But since they are buying the units out of 
>bankruptcy, and no other bidders have been named, it will be hard to 
>argue that rescuing the sites inhibits competition. Also in 
>Australia, the remaining 16 company-owned Angus & Robertson 
>bookstores that have not been sold 
><http://click.publisherslunchdaily.com/cp/redirect.php?u=NTAwNnwzNDQ4OXxqd2hpdEBqYW53aGl0YWtlci5jb218NTY4NTkyfDc2MDIyMjM2fDc5OTM0Mg==&id=8888258>will 
>be closed by the end of July.


Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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