Did Australia's eBook champion just die?

Renai LeMay
Friday, 18 February 2011 06:35

Your IT - Mobility

blog Disturbing news broke late yesterday about REDgroup Retail, the company which operates the Borders and Angus & Robertson brands in Australia, as well as Whitcoulls in New Zealand. From a press release published by administrators Ferrier Hodgson:

'Ferrier Hodgson partners have been appointed voluntary administrators of REDgroup Retail Pty Ltd, which owns and operates Angus & Robertson, Borders and Whitcoulls (NZ). The appointment was made by the REDgroup board.

Ferrier Hodgson partner Steve Sherman said as far as possible it would be business as usual while the administrators conduct an urgent assessment of the business's financial status and prepare for the first meeting of creditors. During this period he called for regular Angus & Robertson, Borders and Whitcoulls customers to continue supporting their local outlets.'

The news immediately sparked concern about whether customers would be able to keep the eBooks which they had accumulated since Borders' national launch of the Kobo platform in Australia in mid-2010. But a series of articles by publications like iTNews and ZDNet.com.au has put paid to that worry, with former REDGroup Retail spokesperson and now Australian Kobo representative Malcolm Neill stating the company would continue as normal. In addition, there was this reassuring entry posted on the Kobo blog:

'Your ebook library is perfectly safe. The Borders ebook experience is powered by Kobo, an entirely separate company from Borders. Kobo is financially secure and will continue to maintain your ebook library no matter what happens.'