The recent collapse into administration of Redgroup, which runs the Borders and Angus & Robertson chains in Australia, pretty much sucked for book lovers of all stripes. But here’s a tiny glimmer of hope: 25 franchise A&R stores say that they want to dump the brand and act as independents.
Yesterday over in the US, Borders filed for bankruptcy. Through what can be seen as coincidence or providence, the company behind the Australian bookstores Borders and Angus & Robertson, RedGroup Retail, has today been placed in voluntary administration. Fortunately, Kobo have assured that all eBooks purchased through the companies are safe.
The last time an Australian bookseller tried to launch an eBook arm, it was Dymocks and it was a disaster – electronic books were more expensive than hardcover versions and the only eReader they were selling cost $900. Hopefully things have changed, with Blair Speedy at the Australian reporting that Redgroup retail, the company behind Borders and Angus & Robertson, are planning on selling eBooks.
