[ad_1]
Baker & Taylor, a nearly 200-year-old Charlotte-based library book distributor, is slashing more than 500 jobs and plans to close in January, according to an industry report and a company filing.
Baker & Taylor CEO Aman Kochar talked about shutting down the company at a recent town hall meeting, Publishers Weekly reported. A planned sale of the company to another firm, ReaderLink, collapsed last month.
Publishers Weekly called Baker & Taylor the largest library wholesaler in the country, and the company says it has been “empowering libraries since 1828.” But Baker & Taylor also has struggled with profitability “in a low-margin business,” Publishers Weekly has reported.
Baker & Taylor has helped libraries across the country with their digital and print collections for decades, according to Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association.
“The loss of Baker & Taylor will be felt throughout the reading ecosystem,” Helmick said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. “They have been a friend to the profession in their presence at ALA conferences and through their support for the Unite Against Book Bans coalition. We regret the closure of this valued partner and the impact it has had on employees.”
After the sale fell through, Baker & Taylor began to lay off 520 people without severance plans, according to Publishers Weekly. It stated that the company experienced some layoffs earlier this year, but until recently still had up to 1,500 full-time and part-time workers.
Baker & Taylor cut more than 250 jobs at a distribution center outside of Chicago, and is planning to let another 62 people go in late December. That’s according to a letter sent by Baker & Taylor to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
The notice complies with U.S. and state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) laws.
The letter noted that Baker & Taylor is closing the facility because a planned sale of the company fell through. The buyer pulled out of the deal and withdrew job offers to all Baker & Taylor employees on Sept. 26.
“Despite Baker & Taylor’s subsequent efforts, it was unsuccessful in seeking a path to continue its business operations,” the company told the state. That pending closure also has left libraries around the country scrambling for other options, Publisher’s Weekly reported Thursday.
The company is headquartered at 2810 Coliseum Centre Drive, Suite 300, near Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Baker & Taylor has not notified the North Carolina Department of Commerce about job cuts in Charlotte, according to the state’s WARN dashboard.
Baker & Taylor did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Charlotte Observer.
A number of Reddit users employed by the company discussed their disappointment online about plans to close the company. This response was typical: “When the acquisition deal fell through, we figured this was only a matter of time,”
About Baker & Taylor
Founded in 1828 in Hartford, Connecticut, Baker & Taylor has been a leading distributor of books and digital content to libraries, schools, and retailers in the United States. The company has expanded its services over the years to include digital media, collection management and international operations.
Baker & Taylor’s corporate office has been in Charlotte since at least the late 1990s, according to company news releases and published reports.
The company previously cut close to 40 jobs in 2019 as part of a strategic shift, the Observer reported at the time.
Baker & Taylor had made plans to exit the business of distributing books wholesale to retailers. The decision was based on aligning with the educational focus of the Follett Corp., the Chicago-based parent company that acquired it in 2016.
Follett sells books and supplies to schools, colleges, bookstores, students, and libraries. The purchase of Baker & Taylor was the biggest deal in its history, The Observer reported, although terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Follett sold Baker & Taylor to a private investment group headed by Baker & Taylor CEO Aman Kochar in 2021, according to the company’s website.
In late 2023, two years after buying the company, Kochar reflected on the company’s mission, telling Publisher’s Weekly: “To have a company that started in 1828 still be thriving and evolving to meet changes in a rapidly evolving marketplace is incredibly motivating to me.”
Baker & Taylor imapct on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Baker & Taylor supplies books to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system. The library has not received official communication about the closing and is closely monitoring the situation, according to a statement provided to the Observer.
As the library learns more about the situation and implements a contingency plan, customer wait times may increase for new and popular titles. It will also increase wait times for digital titles, the system said.
“We purchase book titles — physical and digital — from several channels, including major book distribution companies as well as smaller suppliers, and we have a practice of exploring additional vendors to ensure customers have access to the books they want to read,” Charlotte Mecklenburg Library said in a statement.
This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 5:18 AM.
[ad_2]
Chase Jordan
Source link
