The Federal Trade Commission has asked for additional information in its review of Barnes &Noble's proposed purchase of the Ingram Book Group. The request, which came in mid-December, will delay completion of the deal, which previously was set to be finalized early this month. Although the FTC has made no announcement about how long its investigation will take, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden said he expects the review to be completed by spring.
Senator Wyden has taken a special interest in the B&N/Ingram merger. He is on record as saying that if the deal is approved, the FTC should demand that firewalls be created between B&N and Ingram to prevent B&N from obtaining sensitive information about competing booksellers.
B&N spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating told PW the company has been cooperating with the FTC and remains confident the merger will be approved.
