The collapse of Borders could be bad news for their rivals as the crocked book shop chain launches a liquidation sale today in all 45 of its Borders and Books Etc stores.

With Waterstones’ parent company HMV still mulling over whether to snap up some of the stores, huge dents could be made in their own profits as customers flock to Borders to nab the marked-down stock.

When Borders’ Oxford Street branch closed down earlier in the year (pictured), there were near-riots as punters raced to liberate thousands of drastically discounted books from the shelves. Similar scenes could occur over the next few days across the country.

If and when the stores close, it could be bad news for the likes of Paperchase, Game, Red5 and Starbucks, who all have concessions in Borders stores. It is estimated that Paperchase could lose as much as £10 million in annual sales.

But hey – if you’re looking for bargain-priced Christmas gifts, and if the price-slashing is drastic enough, Borders could be the place to be today and tomorrow. Cruel but true.

[Thanks for HotUKDeals member alan6012 for the tip-off]

CDiscount, the online retailer that is huge in France and Germany, has had its wings clipped in its attempt to capture the UK and Ireland market – liquidators have been appointed as the company has been declared insolvent.

In spite of their rampant success on the continent, the UK and Ireland version was set up as a stand-alone company, so the trouble it has got itself into since launching in December 2008 is all its own doing and has excess liabilities to the tune of €8.2 million.

Ironically, the petition for the liquidation order is… CDiscount SA, based in Bordeaux, France, who claim they are owed €4.6 million. You’d think they’d be able to sort it out like family should but there’s clearly no room for sentiment in business these days.

Eyebrows were raised at the beginning of October when the company scrapped their ‘3 Pay’ scheme, which allowed customers to pay for goods in three monthly, interest-free payments. Seemingly, the CDiscount bean-counters could see which way the wind was blowing.

At this point in time, the cdiscount.co.uk site seems to be operating as normal, although you’d have to have nerves of steel to order something from them over the next few days.

(Thanks to HUKD member Stigma for the tip off)

If you’ve recently ordered something from American electronics giant Circuit City, it’s now time to give them a call and check where your new gadget has been shipped to.

Inside rumours have spread that electronics giant Circuit City is closing down 150 stores and withdrawing from 12 markets effective today as an alternative to bankruptcy.

The official announcement will be made today to the press, although Circuit City’s plans to downsize were no secret.  The Wall Street Journal reported on that the retailer was considering closing 150 stores on October 20. Furthermore, Circuit City was threatened with removal from the New York Stock Exchange on October 31 because their stock price averaged below $1 for a month. The stores that are closing will have inventory liquidated and all warranties can be serviced at stores that will remain open.

This sudden news, however, has still managed to shock employees who were not aware of the company’s financial woes. Associates in Chicago were told that they would be attending a “holiday kickoff” meeting and were instead treated to layoffs. They received a letter you can read here from Director of Associate Relations Steve Saunders on November 2 alerting employees that their termination would be effective on or before December 31. Many employees have reported that layoffs will begin in their stores as early as Tuesday, November 3.

For those lucky few heading to the United States in the coming weeks, that inventory liquidation could mean some sweet hot deals in the near future.  So let us know if you get lucky!  You can already use Circuit City’s online store locator to determine which stores are closing, as their listings have been removed.

[The Consumerist]