[LINK] Amazon buys Book Depository

[Jan Whitaker]

Online book retailing is about to get a little 
bit less competitive, with Amazon announcing that 
it will buy The Book Depository.
http://www.theage.com.au/business/amazon-swallows-the-book-depository-20110705-1h00b.html

The cost of the transaction remains undisclosed.

The British company, which is popular in 
Australia due to its low prices and free 
shipping, was expected to chalk up sales of £120 
million ($180 million) for the fiscal year ending 
in June, according to industry specialist TheBookseller.com.
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Last year it had an operating profit of £2.3 million, TheBookseller.com said.

On its website, the company sought to reassure 
its customers that its service and range would 
improve after the acquisition by Amazon.

"The Book Depository and Amazon are aligned in 
wanting to ensure the best possible experience for customers," the group said.

"Working with Amazon we will look to continue to 
increase our vast selection of great titles and 
provide even better customer experience."

Amazon's vice-president of European retail Greg 
Greeley said: "The Book Depository is very 
focused on serving its customers around the 
world, and we look forward to welcoming them to the Amazon family.

"With the support of Amazon, we look forward to 
continuing our growth and providing an 
ever-improving service for readers globally," 
Book Depository founder Andrew Crawford said.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

The Book Depository offers 6 million books for delivery globally.
[more on A&R after this]


Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the 
world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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