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Wal-Mart to Add Nook to Inventory of E-Readers
By JULIE BOSMAN
Published: October 21, 2010
Wal-Mart will begin selling the Nook, Barnes & Noble’s dedicated e-reader, in 2,500 of its stores, Barnes & Noble announced on Thursday.
“Sales of Nook devices continue to exceed our expectations, and we are thrilled to be able to partner with Wal-Mart, one of the world’s greatest retailers, to expand the distribution of our award-winning Nook eBook reader,” Chris Peifer, the vice president for digital business development for Barnes & Noble, said in a statement.
Wal-Mart, the giant retailer with 3,400 supercenters and discount stores throughout the United States, will also begin selling the Nook on its Web site later this month, Ravi Jariwala, a spokesman for Wal-Mart, said.
The Nook is currently for sale at Barnes & Noble locations, on BN.com and at Best Buy stores and its Web site.
Retailers are preparing for a major holiday season for e-readers, whose price and selection have changed substantially in the last year. Apple introduced its iPad in April, joining the relatively young Nook and the Kindle, Amazon’s e-reader, among others.
This year, book shoppers have moved in greater numbers from print books to digital. Major publishers have said that e-books now make up about 8 percent of total trade book sales, a jump from about 3 percent last year.
Retailers are predicting a notable holiday season for e-readers, partly because their prices have dropped sharply in the last year. Barnes & Noble’s Nook is sold in two versions, $199 and $149; Amazon’s latest versions of the Kindle are available for $189 and $139. Before price reductions in June, both the Nook and the Kindle cost $259.
Barnes & Noble has made gains in the e-book market this year, after a slow start against Amazon. In September, the chain increased its effort to sell the Nook, creating 1,000-square-foot display spaces in each store to show off the device.
In June, Amazon announced that its Kindle e-reader would be sold in Target stores. Sarah Gelman, a spokeswoman for Amazon, said the Kindle is now also sold in HMSHost stores, Staples, Best Buy and J&R.
Wal-Mart recently began selling the iPad and the Sony Reader in its stores.
By JULIE BOSMAN
Published: October 21, 2010
Wal-Mart will begin selling the Nook, Barnes & Noble’s dedicated e-reader, in 2,500 of its stores, Barnes & Noble announced on Thursday.
“Sales of Nook devices continue to exceed our expectations, and we are thrilled to be able to partner with Wal-Mart, one of the world’s greatest retailers, to expand the distribution of our award-winning Nook eBook reader,” Chris Peifer, the vice president for digital business development for Barnes & Noble, said in a statement.
Wal-Mart, the giant retailer with 3,400 supercenters and discount stores throughout the United States, will also begin selling the Nook on its Web site later this month, Ravi Jariwala, a spokesman for Wal-Mart, said.
The Nook is currently for sale at Barnes & Noble locations, on BN.com and at Best Buy stores and its Web site.
Retailers are preparing for a major holiday season for e-readers, whose price and selection have changed substantially in the last year. Apple introduced its iPad in April, joining the relatively young Nook and the Kindle, Amazon’s e-reader, among others.
This year, book shoppers have moved in greater numbers from print books to digital. Major publishers have said that e-books now make up about 8 percent of total trade book sales, a jump from about 3 percent last year.
Retailers are predicting a notable holiday season for e-readers, partly because their prices have dropped sharply in the last year. Barnes & Noble’s Nook is sold in two versions, $199 and $149; Amazon’s latest versions of the Kindle are available for $189 and $139. Before price reductions in June, both the Nook and the Kindle cost $259.
Barnes & Noble has made gains in the e-book market this year, after a slow start against Amazon. In September, the chain increased its effort to sell the Nook, creating 1,000-square-foot display spaces in each store to show off the device.
In June, Amazon announced that its Kindle e-reader would be sold in Target stores. Sarah Gelman, a spokeswoman for Amazon, said the Kindle is now also sold in HMSHost stores, Staples, Best Buy and J&R.
Wal-Mart recently began selling the iPad and the Sony Reader in its stores.
