Amazon on Monday announced it has purchased independent UK online bookseller The Book Depository, though no details regarding the terms of the sale were revealed. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The two have a similar business model, as both work with publishers, distributors and wholesalers along with third-party booksellers. The newly acquired company has a wider reach, however, as The Book Depository said it sells and delivers books to more than 100 countries and its catalog contains about six million titles.
About one million customers are expected to buy nearly $193.5 million in books from the online retailer in 2011. How or if its way of doing business will change isn’t entirely clear, but the company did inform its Twitter followers that it will continue to operate independently. Some believe books will remain less expensive than those on Amazon now that Amazon bought it out.
The store also delivered books for free to customers in the 100 countries it serves, and whether this stays in place remains to be seen.
