Pershing's Ackerman calls for Amazon.com to buy Borders
NEW YORK—William Ackerman, the billionaire hedge fund manager who is a major stakeholder in Borders Group Inc., said Wednesday the bookseller should consider approaching online retailer Amazon.com Inc. about a possible acquisition.
The founder of Pershing Square Capital Management said Borders, of which the hedge fund owns about 30 percent, could become the "bricks-and-clicks" component of Amazon's nationwide sales strategy. Borders, which put itself up for sale in March, has about 500 retail outlets across the country.
"Amazon could buy the company for about $400 million to get those locations that would take more than $1 billion to build," he told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in New York. "You have to think of it like how Apple has retail stores across the country."
One reason that might persuade Amazon is that the company may soon lose its state tax advantage across the nation. Some 18 states are ramping up to require e-commerce businesses to collect sales tax, and about 1,100 online retailers have already volunteered to collect them.
Ackerman said that once Amazon loses its tax advantage that buying retail locations will make sense. He believes customers will benefit from getting same-day delivery that a network of retail stores can provide, and Amazon would also get an opportunity to sell other products not currently carried at Border's locations.
He did not have any knowledge if the Seattle-based online retailer has approached Borders' board of directors, of which he is not a member.
Borders shares fell 24 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $6.70, while Amazon shed $2.34, or 2.9 percent, to $77.28.
