ABA's Oren Teicher to retire

American Booksellers Association c.e.o. Oren Teicher has said he plans to retire at the end of this year. Teicher has worked for the ABA for nearly 30 years, having first joined in 1990 as associate executive director. He has been in his current post since 2009.

Teicher said: “To say the least, this was not a decision I reached lightly, as I have cherished every single day over the last 30 years that I have worked at ABA. But the time has come, and I firmly believe it's the right decision for me, and for ABA. There are also a number of important things still to get done, and I expect to continue working on those as vigorously as I can while I remain CEO.”

ABA president Robert Sindelar said: “ABA has been immensely fortunate to have had Oren Teicher as our c.e.o. these last 10 years. “His tireless efforts working on behalf of our member stores have helped make significant changes to the independent bookstore business model, and the growth and success so many of our stores are experiencing are due to his vision and leadership. It’s hard to imagine the current indie bookstore landscape without Oren being a key part of it. As tough as it will be to see Oren go, with membership numbers on the rise, our channel’s net unit sales also on the rise, and our core work in education at Winter Institute, Children's Institute, the Spring Forums, and distance learning stronger than they have ever been, ABA is well positioned to engage in a transition of leadership.”

A recruitment process is underway for Teicher's successor.