Amazon 'to open first physical shop' in Seattle
AMAZON is set to open its first physical shop in Seattle, selling its own electronic goods and books, according to a report.
The shop is being opened in a bid to gauge how profitable a chain of retail stores, in a similar vein to Apple, would be, reports the US books blog, Good E-reader.
It will focus on selling Kindles, the new Kindle Fire tablet, which has yet to go on sale in the UK, and also a range of ‘Amazon Exclusives’ physical books, which the technology giant publishes.
Several of the major US book sellers, such as Barnes and Noble, do not stock the Amazon-published books – so the technology giant will begin selling the physical copies itself. It recently set up its own publishing division and lured some large names to write for it. The shop will also allow people to sample ebooks using demonstration Kindles and free wifi.
The first of its ‘Exclusives’ books will launch this Autumn and the shop is expected to open ahead of Christmas this year.
Amazon was unavailable for comment.
The books blog reports that the shop will occupy a smaller, more “boutique-type” venue, rather than a giant space like Apple’s super-sized stores. Seattle is a natural location for the retail giant’s first physical shop, as it is where the headquarters of Amazon is based.
The shop will also sell technology accessories such as screen protectors.
- Emma Barnett
© Telegraph.co.uk
