Some 'interest' in possible STL Distribution purchase

Potential buyers for STL Distribution North America (STLD) have stepped forward since the wholesaler was put up for sale in August.

Tara Powers, spokesperson for owner Biblica, told Christian Retailing in September that it was "premature to share specific details," but that the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based ministry had "received interest from several companies to date."

The second largest Christian distributor, STLD became part of Biblica in 2007 when U.K.-based Send the Light (STL)—which bought the business from founder Tom Torbett two years earlier—merged with the International Bible Society (IBS) to form a new global organization, IBS-STL. That new organization changed its name to Biblica in 2009.

Announcing the search for a buyer, Biblica, North America CEO Doug Lockhart said that the move was part of an assessment of STLD's future, including "growing (it) within the Biblica ministry or seeking a new ownership partner to take the organization forward." If a suitable new owner was not found, he added, STLD would continue in business as part of the Biblica family.

Shortly before it was put on the block, STLD announced plans for a major new print-on-demand service to launch next year in partnership with technology firm Snowfall Press and printer Dickinson Press. The initiative will make possible same-day shipping of out-of-print titles.

Last fall, STLD—which employs around 120—consolidated its four warehouses, moving to a new facility in Elizabethton, Tenn.