Borders, the 40-year-old chain that helped define the age of the book superstore, filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, a widely expected move after years of increased competition, declining sales and months of missed payments to its vendors.
Publishers, who have anticipated the bankruptcy filing for months, said they hoped that it would be a chance for the beleaguered bookseller to reinvent itself. But they were also skeptical that the company’s deep-rooted problems could be overcome.
Borders, which began in 1971 as a used-book store in Ann Arbor, Mich., will close some 200 stores and shed much of its staff. The company currently operates more than 650 stores, including about 500 superstores, and employs 19,000 people.
Publishers were told on Tuesday that Borders had secured debtor-in-possession financing and that a meeting to form a creditor committee would most likely occur next week.
The company listed $1.29 billion in debt and $1.27 billion in assets in a filing in United States Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.
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