Borders Group Inc on Tuesday posted a wider-than-expected quarterly loss as sales slumped.

The second-largest U.S. brick-and-mortar bookseller behind rival Barnes & Noble Inc posted a net loss of $45.6 million, or 76 cents per share, in the second quarter ended August 1, compared with a loss of $11.3 million, or 19 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, the loss was 21 cents a share. Analysts on average forecast a loss of 16 cents a share, according to Reuters Estimates.

Sales fell 17.7 percent to $616.8 million.

Booksellers have had to contend with a lingering slump in the book industry as consumers have headed online -- especially to Amazon.com Inc -- to buy books.

(Reporting by Brad Dorfman and Alexandria Sage; Editing by Derek Caney)