Follett acquires Baker & Taylor

In the US, educational content provider Follett Corp has acquired library distributor Baker & Taylor (B&T), reports Publishers Weekly. Follett Corp provides technology, services and print and digital content to preK-12 libraries, schools and higher education institutions, while Baker & Taylor distributes books and media content to public libraries and institutions. The acquisition, which includes B&T’s publishing service Bookmasters, is expected to result in sales of US$3.6bn (A$4.6bn) for the newly combined company. According to an email sent to publishers by David Cully, president of retail and executive vice president of merchandising at B&T, there are no plans for integration, and B&T will ‘continue to operate as before’ from its base in Charlotte, North Carolina. Follett chairman Todd A Litzsinger called the purchase a ‘major milestone’ that ‘expands the possibilities of [the] two businesses’. As previously reported by Books+Publishing, B&T sold its publishing and warehouse units, Baker & Taylor Publishing Group and Baker & Taylor Marketing Services US, to Readerlink Distribution Services in 2015.

Category: International news