Borders booksellers in the UK have launched a Save Borders campaign on Facebook. So far 1100 people have signed. The company's administrators are actively seeking a buyer so all the stores in Great Britain don't have to shut down. In addition to the online drive, stores are also getting customers to sign petitions.
Yesterday (30th November), The Bookseller reported that the administrators of Borders made 36 staff at the store support office on Charing Cross Road redundant, but added that "considerable interest has been expressed either in the business and/or certain stores and this interest". MCR said this interest was being "actively being pursued". The administrator added: "I can confirm that no redundancies have been made in-store."
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Hachette UK's deputy chief executive Peter Roche told The Bookseller yesterday that he was still awaiting a response from Borders UK administrators MCR to questions put by him on behalf of the publishing-wide committee established by the Publishers Association to try to find a way for publishers to continue trading with the bookseller.
A number of questions sent by The Bookseller to the administrator have also so far been left unanswered.
The lack of detail and responsiveness from the administrators is not a good sign. If there are buyers who are interested in picking up the UK book chain, they'd better hurry up and get a bid in. Otherwise, all 45 stores are going to close down and all the staff will be fired.
