Borders Sales Start Today: Letter from CEO

Going-out-of-business sales begin today at Borders. Items will reportedly be sold at discounts up to 40 percent off at all stores including the one in Vacaville, 1641 East Monte Vista Ave.

In a letter from Borders CEO Mark Edwards, he says that all gift cards will be honored, as well as discounts for Borders Rewards members. 

He also thanks all Borders shoppers and explains that he feels privileged to have expanded access to books and promoted the joy of reading. 

What will happen with the Borders location is still unknown. Vacaville's store is set to close sometime in September.

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Here's the full letter from the CEO:  

Dear Borders Rewards Member,

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Borders will be closing its doors after more than 40 years of igniting the love of reading in generations of customers. I am sorry to have to share this news with you as I feel you have been here right along with us as we fought valiantly to save the company. I want to personally thank you for your loyalty and support, whether you were one of the nearly 1.8 million customers who signed up for the Borders Rewards Program, shopped in our stores or on Borders.com, or simply took the time to e-mail or call the company to express your support.

You might be asking yourself, what happened? How could it be that there won’t be a Borders moving forward? In a nutshell, following continued negotiations and the best efforts from all parties, no bidders presented a formal proposal to keep our company operating as a going concern. Therefore, under the terms of our debtor-in-possession financing agreement, we presented to the court for approval the proposal for firms to purchase our stores’ assets and administer the liquidation process.

We had worked very hard toward a different outcome. The fact is that Borders has been facing headwinds for quite some time, including a rapidly changing book industry, the eReader revolution, and a turbulent economy. We put up a great fight, but regrettably, in the end, we weren’t able to overcome these external forces.

Going out of business sales begin in stores Friday, July 22. I encourage you to take advantage of this one-time opportunity to find exceptional discounts on your favorite books and other great merchandise. Gift cards will be honored during the liquidation sales, and Borders Rewards Plus members will continue to enjoy their Borders Rewards Plus discounts through August 5. Further, all Borders bucks will be honored until they expire on July 31.

For decades, Borders stores have been destinations within communities – places where people have sought knowledge, entertainment, and enlightenment and connected with others who share their passions. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to lead Borders and play a role in the true and noble cause of expanding access to books and promoting the joy of reading. As a company, we cannot thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to serve you and the millions of other customers who have shopped our stores over the years. My sincerest hope is that we remain in the hearts of readers for years to come.

Many thanks,

Mark Edwards
CEO of Borders