The Bookseller reports that up to 150 staff at book wholesaler THE are to be asked to stay with the business during the six-month inquiry by the Competition Commission into the acquisition of rival wholesaler Bertram by THE’s parent Entertainment UK. The original plan was for EUK had planned to absorb THE’s book supply business into Bertrams–renaming the combined business Bertrams/THE–with up to 640 staff at THE facing redundancy, but the referrral by the Office of Fair Trading to the CC means that Bertrams and THE must continue to be run as two separate companies by EUK. The CC is not due to report until 14th September.
Lloyd Wigglesworth, m.d. of EUK, told The Bookseller that the integration of the rest of THE into EUK would continue as planned. “For most of the staff, there will be no change and the consultation will continue as planned,” he said. “However, approximately 150 staff at THE will be affected or potentially affected by the referral. Many of these will be asked to stay within the business until at least September 2007.”