With the dawn of e-books, it became clear in 2011 that there was no room for the world's number two book retailer. Founded in 1971, Borders Group filed for bankruptcy in February 2011. And by December, it had finalized the details of its liquidation.
Today, the retailer's intellectual property, including brand names Borders, Waldenbooks and Brentano, were sold to rival Barnes & Noble for $15.8 million in September 2011. Barnes & Noble owns Borders' website and customer list too. With stores shuttered, it's unclear whether the Borders brand will have much longevity in the age of Amazon.
Iconic brands live on even after bankruptcy and liquidation, More buyers are making bets on the resuscitation of dead brand names.
