Trans World Bids for Musicland

Trans World Entertainment Corporation, parent company of the FYE chain of music stores, has submitted a bid to purchase bankrupt Musicland Holding Corp. for $104 million in addition to assuming Musicland’s $17.1 million debt. According to ICv2 research, the reaction to the possible acquisition from unidentified members of America’s anime and manga retail industry varied from hoping that new ownership would salvage some mainstream distribution for anime and manga, while other respondents worry about Trans World’s marginal interest in supporting anime and manga sales.