High street retailer WH Smith is today reportedly looking at expanding its books business by buying the British arm of bookseller Borders.
Borders, which has an Oxford city centre store, announced in March that it was pulling out of the UK in a move to focus on the fortunes of its underperforming US business.
Private equity firms had been seen as the most likely bidders for the UK operation, but it is now understood that WH Smith has its sights on the firm, according to The Daily Telegraph.
However a bid from WH Smith could face a number of hurdles, including competition issues, with objections from the books industry and smaller retailers if a bid for Borders in the UK was successful.
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