Waldenbooks Inc

Borders Group Inc., the No. 2 bookstore chain criticized by Wall Street for its modest Internet showing and sluggish retail sales, said Wednesday that it will boost its shopping mall presence by buying a seller of toys and novelties at kiosks. All Wound Up will retain its name and be operated as a unit of Borders' Waldenbooks, which has 600 seasonal mall kiosks.

Borders Group Inc., the No. 2 bookstore chain criticized by Wall Street for its modest Internet showing and sluggish retail sales, said Wednesday that it will boost its shopping mall presence by buying a seller of toys and novelties at kiosks. All Wound Up will retain its name and be operated as a unit of Borders' Waldenbooks, which has 600 seasonal mall kiosks.

Kmart Shakes Up Bookstore Operations: In an effort to lure affluent younger readers, Kmart Corp. said it will close 187 of its 1,216 Waldenbook stores and upgrade its Borders super stores to a popular book and music format. The new format will combine books and music in a casual setting with novelties such as coffee bars and children's reading centers.

Book retailer Borders Group Inc. said Monday that it is cooperating with a Justice Department antitrust inquiry into the closure of mall bookstores by its Waldenbooks chain. Rick Vanzura, Borders' vice president of group planning and resource management, said the Justice Department has sought information on whether the company has held any talks about mall closures with its archrival, B. Dalton Bookseller, a unit of Barnes & Noble Inc.

Book retailer Borders Group Inc. said Monday that it is cooperating with a Justice Department antitrust inquiry into the closure of mall bookstores by its Waldenbooks chain. Rick Vanzura, Borders' vice president of group planning and resource management, said the Justice Department has sought information on whether the company has held any talks about mall closures with its archrival, B. Dalton Bookseller, a unit of Barnes & Noble Inc.

When the first bomb threat came two weeks before Christmas, many employees here at Viking Penguin dismissed it as a prank. It seemed improbable that Islamic protests over Salman Rushdie's new novel "The Satanic Verses" would suddenly threaten the safety of a respected American publishing house. "Nobody seemed worried that we had published this book," said a senior editor. "I remember taking some of my staff across the street for a drink while police cleared out the building.

The nation's biggest bookstore chains--Waldenbooks and B. Dalton--are trying everything from home delivery to opening up tony stores in the face of sluggish sales. The quest for more customers continues next week when the two national rivals launch membership card programs that reward frequent customers with discounts, coupons and special newsletters. "We want to set ourselves apart," said Ron Jaffe, senior marketing director at the 1,300-store Waldenbooks chain, which is owned by K mart Corp.

The decision last week by the nation's two biggest bookstore chains to pull Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" from their shelves has brought a new outpouring of complaints about the chains' tremendous influence on how widely books are distributed and even which ones get published. On Wednesday, the B. Dalton-Barnes & Noble chain reversed its position not to sell the novel, and Waldenbooks has promised to resume selling the book from its stockroom when new copies arrive from the publisher.

The FBI on Wednesday entered the investigation of two Berkeley bookstore firebombings that authorities said may have been prompted by Muslim outrage over Salman Rushdie's novel, "The Satanic Verses." An FBI spokesman in San Francisco said the agency stepped in on the grounds that the attacks violated the Hobbs Act, a federal law prohibiting violence or threats against interstate commerce.

Rebuffed by shareholders the first time around, embattled Kmart announced Tuesday that it will spin off its book, office supply and sporting goods chains to raise money for the expansion and modernization of its more than 2,000 discount stores. Analysts said the sale of 51% of Kmart's OfficeMax, Sports Authority and Borders-Waldenbooks subsidiaries could raise as much as $3 billion. Kmart's board, meeting at its Troy, Mich.

Kmart to Revamp Borders, Walden Subsidiaries: Kmart Corp. launched a restructuring of its Borders Inc. and Walden Book Co. units, streamlining the bookstore operations to make them more attractive in a planned public stock sale next year. Under the plan, Kmart will create a new corporate unit, Borders Group Inc., to manage Borders, Waldenbooks and Planet Music Inc. The new company will be based in Borders' current offices in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Walden's Stamford, Conn.

Rebuffed by shareholders the first time around, embattled Kmart announced Tuesday that it will spin off its book, office supply and sporting goods chains to raise money for the expansion and modernization of its more than 2,000 discount stores. Analysts said the sale of 51% of Kmart's OfficeMax, Sports Authority and Borders-Waldenbooks subsidiaries could raise as much as $3 billion. Kmart's board, meeting at its Troy, Mich.

The nation's biggest bookstore chains--Waldenbooks and B. Dalton--are trying everything from home delivery to opening up tony stores in the face of sluggish sales. The quest for more customers continues next week when the two national rivals launch membership card programs that reward frequent customers with discounts, coupons and special newsletters. "We want to set ourselves apart," said Ron Jaffe, senior marketing director at the 1,300-store Waldenbooks chain, which is owned by K mart Corp.

The FBI on Wednesday entered the investigation of two Berkeley bookstore firebombings that authorities said may have been prompted by Muslim outrage over Salman Rushdie's novel, "The Satanic Verses." An FBI spokesman in San Francisco said the agency stepped in on the grounds that the attacks violated the Hobbs Act, a federal law prohibiting violence or threats against interstate commerce.

The decision last week by the nation's two biggest bookstore chains to pull Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" from their shelves has brought a new outpouring of complaints about the chains' tremendous influence on how widely books are distributed and even which ones get published. On Wednesday, the B. Dalton-Barnes & Noble chain reversed its position not to sell the novel, and Waldenbooks has promised to resume selling the book from its stockroom when new copies arrive from the publisher.

When the first bomb threat came two weeks before Christmas, many employees here at Viking Penguin dismissed it as a prank. It seemed improbable that Islamic protests over Salman Rushdie's new novel "The Satanic Verses" would suddenly threaten the safety of a respected American publishing house. "Nobody seemed worried that we had published this book," said a senior editor. "I remember taking some of my staff across the street for a drink while police cleared out the building.

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday issued complaints against six of the nation's largest book publishers for allegedly discriminating illegally against independent bookstores by selling books at discounted prices to major bookstore chains. The complaints allege that the six publishers sell books at lower prices to large bookstore chains, including the nation's three biggest: Waldenbooks Inc., B. Dalton Bookseller and Crown Books Corp.