FROM RETAILWIRE:
Usually in business, it's the bigger company acquiring the smaller one. But sometimes the normal rules no longer apply. What do you think of the proposed merger between Borders and Barnes & Noble?
MY COMMENTARY:
Let's look at this from the consumer's point of view. Do they care about the near-term strategy of Border's stockholders? No.
The future of this business is probably consolidation and reduction. While it's great to browse metropolitan-library-sized stores, is this a sustainable model in a future that needs innovation, flexibility and continual responsiveness to consumers?
I think we will always crave physical books and magazines (not so sure about the next generation) but they will be special, intimate experiences apart from our daily engagement streams.
The "4-wallers" (love that term) have a special place in consumers' hearts and minds--look at the innovation coming from Library systems--they have an opportunity to be newly relevant by helping us manage not just the information at our disposal, but the inspiration, too.
That just might make a proposed deal like this make long-term sense.
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Here’s the RetailWire piece: Ackman Pushes Borders Bid for Barnes & Noble - Chuck Palmer's RetailWire Blog http://bit.ly/h4QVav
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