World’s largest bookseller Barnes & Noble(B&N) have signed partnership deals with Dixons Retail, which owns PC World and Currys; Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, three leading UK retailers. The move is a definite step in consolidating its presence in the UK.
The UK retailers will now display and sell Barnes & Noble books. They will also offer Nook services to their customers, with Nook Simple Touch and Nook Simple Touch GlowLight becoming available in 2000 stores from October.
However, B&N has not disclosed its Nook tablet retail plans as of yet. The publishers also announced that they will move into video content category with partnerships with HBO, Sony, Starz, Warner Bros Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios. B&N also says that it will soon launch a Nook portal for UK at http://www.nook.co.uk.
Currys and PC World will feature Barnes & Noble’s NOOK products in over 600 stores across the country and online (at http://www.currys.co.uk and http://www.pcworld.co.uk).Waitrose will bring NOOK to selected branches in the UK.
Sainsbury’s New Technology Buyer, Lindsay Evans commented: “We aim to offer our customers new and exciting products. The NOOK provides avid readers with a portable, easy way to consume literature. General merchandise represents a significant part of our business’ growth and it was critically important to us we found a device partner who understands the specific needs of our customers. The NOOK’s high quality and intuitive features make it perfect for the whole family to enjoy.”
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