Borders Tests Ideas in NJ Mall

Publishers Marketplace points to a story about some of the strategies Borders Chief Executive Officer George Jones is hoping will move the company from “playing defense” to a “strong offense” as he said in a March conference call. Borders has told investors it plans to introduce a new-store prototype in 2008, and a number of the elements expected to be included are getting a thorough “test read” at the plaza store in Paramus, New Jersey, which opened at the end of May.

The new store, 24,000 square feet in size – making it smaller than its predecessor, but more spacious thanks to the redesign – gives prime display space to the components Jones is counting on to reestablish the chain as the “headquarters for knowledge and entertainment.” There is a reorganized movie and DVD department, a music division with listening stations that allow users to hear any song on any CD in stock, and a restaurant/cafe featuring Seattle’s Best Coffee, Borders’ restaurant partner in its new stores.

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