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Article: Who's Afraid of a Big, Bad Barnes?/Barnes & Noble buys Ingram Book Co., nation's largest book retailer
- Article from:
- Yakima Herald-Republic
- Article date:
- December 21, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1998 Yakima Herald-Republic. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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It's as if the owners of a local hamburger joint were ordered
start buying their beef from McDonalds. That's how small,
independent book sellers see the proposed sale of Ingram Book
Company, the nation's largest distributor, to Barnes & Noble Inc.,
the nation's largest retailer.
The independent stores buy many of their books from Ingram. Now
Ingram is poised to join forces with the industry's undisputed
heavyweight, a company many blame for the demise of many corner book
stores.
In Yakima and across the country, owners of small book stores
fret that the sale will push them to the financial edge.
And, they warn, there's more at risk than their livelihoods.
Last month, Barnes & Noble ...