The Little Group has bought wholesaler Baker & Taylor UK, the Bookseller reported. The Little Group owns U.K. wholesaler Gardners, education wholesaler Browns Books, library wholesaler Askews & Holts and the Hive website for indie bookshops, among other companies.
Baker & Taylor UK will continue to conduct business with its name, and there will be no staff changes. Executive chairman Gareth Powell and managing director Annette Burgess will remain on the board of directors and continue to be actively involved in the day-to-day running of the company, the Bookseller wrote.
Last November, Follett Corp., which had bought Baker & Taylor in 2016, sold the company to a private investment group led by B&T president and CEO Aman Kochar. In the past few years, B&T exited trade wholesaling in the U.S. and sold its entertainment division to Ingram. Earlier this month, B&T founded Paw Prints Publishing, a children's imprint.
The Little Group said Baker & Taylor UK will benefit from access to Gardners, which stocks some 500,000 titles and is especially strong in Europe. Jonathan Little, chairman of the Little Group, said, "We are pleased to welcome Baker & Taylor UK to the group, complementing our offer to the U.K. and international book markets, and we look forward to building on this to provide even better services in the future for both new and existing customers."
Powell said: "We are proud of the immense progress the business has made, particularly against the backdrop of the challenges of the past two years. Our teams have worked tirelessly, with skill and commitment, to make this business stronger than it has ever been and we are now honoured to take this forward with the support of our loyal customers for the new horizons this opens.