The Bookseller.com

2nd December 2008

Borders rejigs buying team

28.08.08 Graeme Neill

Eight buyers are to leave Borders UK across its book and non-book teams following a review of the retailer’s buying team structure. The retailer launched a consultation period in June about the restructuring. It planned to make several positions redundant and asked the buying team to reapply for their jobs.

Four book buyers will leave Borders by the end of September. Senior buyer for children’s books Becky Stradwick and non-fiction buyer Graeme Eaves decided not to take part in the consultation process and will leave the retailer by the end of next month. Airports buyer Anna Derkacz is joining Random House at the end of September to become key account manager for Ebury and Mainstream. Fiction buyer Kim Mackay has been offered a job elsewhere and will leave Borders shortly.

Borders’ new look fiction team will be headed by senior fiction buyer Michael Jones, who has also been appointed acting books category manager. She replaces Caroline Mileham who left Borders last month to join Play.com. She is supported by fiction buyer Ruth Atkins; genre fiction buyer Radcliffe Harris; and children’s buyer John Packard. Sarah Cahill, previously assistant airports buyer, has been promoted to airports buyer.

The non-fiction team will be lead by senior non-fiction buyer Richard Humphreys. He will continue his responsibility for the history section. Guy Raphael will be in charge of lifestyle, biography, travel, film & TV titles; Rob Hughes will buy current affairs, academic & reference, and popular culture books; and Emma Carter will have responsibility for food, gardening and art and design, as well as managing the bargain books section.

Philip Downer, c.e.o. of Borders, said the reorganisation was in time for the business’ switchover to its new buying systems next week. "The team at the store support office has been both patient and professional, and I would like to thank everyone who has been affected by these changes," he said. "With the chain-wide cutover to new systems commencing on 1st September, our new transactional website growing daily, and a vigorous response to sales challenges from our stores, we are well placed for future growth."

Four buyers across the dvd, periodicals and non-book departments will also leave the company next month.

Retail People Borders Graeme Neill Home Philip Downer

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