Paperchase (company)

"See also Paper Chase."

Infobox_Company
company_name = Paperchase
company_
company_type = Private
company_slogan =
location_city = London
location_country = UK
foundation = 1996
founder = W H Smith
key_people =
parent = Borders Group, Inc.
industry = Retail (Speciality)
products = Stationery, Greeting cards
homepage = [http://www.paperchase.co.uk www.paperchase.co.uk]

Paperchase is a national chain of stationery stores in the UK. As well as stand alone stores, there are Paperchase concessions in every branch of Borders in the UK, as well as selected House of Fraser and Selfridges stores. Since 2004, Paperchase concessions have been included in over 300 Borders stores in the USA; in 2007 it was announced that the first American stand alone store would be opened in Boston. [http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLTH02618102007-1.htm]

History

Paperchase was founded in 1996 by the stationary retailer, W H Smith. Private equity group Graphite Capital backed the Paperchase directors in a management buyout of the original "chain" of 12 stores for £1m. In 1999, Borders Group bought a 15% stake of the Paperchase company and increased this share to 97% in 2004, when it bought out the rest of Graphite Capital's share for £18.6mGraphite Capital sells Paperchase to Borders Group [http://production.investis.com/graphitecapital/news/200020001/2004-07-13/?version=1] ] . To this day, the four Paperchase directors retain the other 3% share between them. [Borders Buys Paperchase | [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/bookseller-borders-buys-paperchase-553117.html] ]

As of May 2008, the Borders Group announced it was considering selling its 97% share to one of either HgCapital, Isis Equity Partners or Change Capital, with W H Smith again interested in putting in a £50million bid - 12 years after selling it at £1m.

Since the original 1996 sale, Paperchase grew from just 12 stores to its 61 today and its annual sales have more than trebled from £7.7m to £27.4m.

References

Paperchase was founded on the King's Road back in the late 1960's by two London art students.