DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Borders Group Inc. (BGP) said it will open 25 seasonal "pop-up"
stores in the U.S. this fall that will operate through the holiday
season as the bookstore company looks to boost its sales.
The second-biggest U.S. bookstore operator by sales behind
Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) said the stores--which will be open
Oct. 25 through Jan. 31--will average about 2,500 square feet and
will sell top titles, big new releases, e-readers and
holiday-themed items, among others.
Borders has struggled of late amid a sharp decline in sales and
customer traffic, while its margins have continued to fall. Other
retailers, such as Toys 'R' Us Inc., have announced similar plans
to operate pop-up stores, looking to take advantage of sales during
key periods without the cost of operating a store in those areas
during off-peak months.
At the same time, retail-property owners are looking to fill
empty space as vacancy rates have increased the past several years
as companies retrench--like Borders--or close.
The temporary Borders stores will mostly be in malls where the
company once had stores, Chief Executive Mike Edwards said. "Where
it didn't make business sense for us to operate stores on a
permanent basis in these areas, we can open a seasonal store and
serve the holiday shopping needs of our customers," he added.
As of July 31, Borders had 679 stores, down from 886 a year
earlier.
-By Nathan Becker, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2855;
nathan.becker@dowjones.com;