Online retailer Amazon allegedly has plans to open a chain of bookstores. Currently, it has a bookstore in its hometown of Seattle, but there is chance it may open an astonishing 400 stores all across the United States.
Competition for major chains
Shopping mall manager General Growth Properties’ CEO, Sandeep Mathrani, revealed the news to the Wall Street Journal that Amazon has plans to open 300 to 400 bookstores. The company itself refused to comment on rumours and speculation.
Having its own chain of bookstores would turn Amazon into a huge physical competitor for other major bookstore chains like Barnes & Noble (with 640 stores) and Books-A-Million (with 255 stores across the United States). However, it may take several years before Amazon can fully implement its plans as finding the appropriate store locations and recruiting the right type of employees may take a lot of time.
The arrival of a bookstore chain may be Amazon’s way to further compete with chains that mainly take advantage of their physical presence to sell books to people who cannot wait for an online order to arrive.
