PW: Gurr Gone from Lauriat's as Sale Falls Through

The proposed sale of Lauriat's to a still unidentified buyer is "no longer in the works," said Arthur Ansin, Lauriat's chief financial officer. Ansin said that at present the sale "is dead, but not necessarily buried." For the moment, ING Equity Partners remains the controlling shareholder in Lauriat's.

The failure of Lauriat's to close a deal was met with disappointment by several publishers and wholesalers who were hoping that new ownership would help clear up a backlog of unpaid bills. The Northeast-based chain is on credit hold with a number of publishers.