Borders closing in Springdale

The Borders book store in Springdale will close Jan. 3 as the chain readies to open its new-concept location at Kenwood Towne Place this spring.

The store’s 37 employees will be offered jobs at other Borders and Waldenbooks locations and possibly at the new store, though it is not expected to open before March, said Borders Group Inc. spokeswoman Bonnie Schmick.

The two-story Borders store, at 28,000 square feet, will be one of the chain’s first new-concept stores. The design includes a digital center where shoppers can burn CDs or download books, interactive kiosks and 32-inch LCD screens in the food and travel sections. The first such store opened in Ann Arbor, Mich., in mid-February.

The Springdale store, on Kemper Road , opened in June 1993 and has been an underperformer. That, and the new location, forced the decision to close, Schmick said.

“This store hasn’t been meeting our sales expectations,” she said. “And the new-concept store is opening on a side of town that is growing quite a bit.”

Kenwood Towne Place is adjacent to Kenwood Towne Centre in Sycamore Township, right off of Interstate 71. Its anchors also include Crate & Barrel, the Container Store, Ethan Allen and Kroger Fresh Fare, among others.

Borders (NYSE:BGP), based in Ann Arbor, Mich., operates a dozen stores in Greater Cincinnati under the Borders, Waldenbooks and Brentano’s banners.


Source: bizjournals.com