In a major shift in the retail bookseller market, Follett-owned Baker & Taylor announced that it will phase out its operations as a wholesale distributor for bookstores. The company will instead strengthen its operations related to providing books and other content to public libraries. This change is consistent with the business focus of its parent company, Follett, on libraries and educational institutions. This move will provide opportunities for large distributors such as Ingram Content Group, the other major competitor in the retail book distribution sector, as well as for smaller companies.
Follett Corporation acquired Baker & Taylor in April 2016. At the same time, Follett also purchased Bookmasters, a provider of services to the publishing industry and a strategic partner with Baker & Taylor. For more details about those acquisitions, see the June 2016 issue of Smart Libraries Newsletter.1
Notes
- Marshall Breeding, “Follett Corporation Acquires Baker & Taylor,” Smart Libraries Newsletter 36, no. 6 (June 2016): 3–6.
