Borders - #2

Founded in Michigan in 1971, Borders heyday was in the early 2000s. In 1992, Borders was acquired by Kmart (who already owned Waldenbooks) and grew to close to 1,250 stores by 2003.

But Amazon and electronic book readers changed the game. The company shuttered all locations and filed for bankruptcy in February of 2011, followed by closing its online store in September of that same year.

Barnes & Noble acquired some of Border’s assets and brand trademarks in 2011, with international locations being purchased by various entities.

Struggles but differing outcome for rival Barnes & Noble and local bookstores have certainly been resilient and are thriving again.

Interesting to compare the strategies.