Baker & Taylor to close wholesale retail business

In the US, Baker & Taylor (B&T) has announced that it is closing its retail wholesale business in order to align itself with the education focus of its parent company, reports Publishers Weekly (PW).

B&T was acquired by Follett Corporation in 2016, an educational content provider that serves more than 90,000 schools and school libraries in the US, Canada, and 140 countries. B&T currently represents 90% of US libraries, or 6000 public libraries across the country.

Follett will close its two B&T warehouses in Nevada and New Jersey by the end of the year. The New Jersey warehouse will lose 244 jobs, with overall job losses estimated to be about 500.

According to the Bookseller, B&T president David Cully said: ‘Public libraries have always been core to Baker & Taylor’s business, which is why this change will help accelerate the pace of innovative solutions our teams are introducing to drive community outcomes. Exiting wholesale book distribution will allow us to align our resources, technology and people to do what we do best—helping public libraries support the communities they serve.’

Cully added that the company will work with retailers and publishers to make the transition to other wholesalers as smooth as possible. However, PW reports that publishers and booksellers are concerned about being reliant upon only one national wholesaler.

Category: International news