Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), today announced that, subject to closing
conditions, it has reached an agreement to acquire AbeBooks. AbeBooks is
an online marketplace for books, with over 110 million primarily used,
rare and out-of-print books listed for sale by thousands of independent
booksellers from around the world.
"As a leader in rare and hard-to-find books, AbeBooks brings added
breadth and expanded selection to our customers worldwide," said Russell
Grandinetti, vice president of books for Amazon.com. "AbeBooks provides
a wide range of services to both sellers and customers, and we look
forward to working with them to further grow their business. We're
excited to present all of our customers with the widest selection of
books available any place on Earth."
"This deal brings together book sellers and book lovers from around the
world, and offers both types of customers a great experience," said
Hannes Blum, chief executive officer of AbeBooks. "We are very excited
to be joining the Amazon family."
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including
regulatory approvals, and is expected to close before the end of the
fourth quarter of 2008.
AbeBooks will continue to function as a stand-alone operation based in
Victoria, British Columbia. AbeBooks will maintain all of its websites,
including its Canadian website with Canada-specific content, such as
reviews of Canadian-authored books and interviews of Canadian writers.
About AbeBooks
AbeBooks is an online marketplace for books, with over 110 million
primarily used, rare and out-of-print books listed for sale by thousands
of independent booksellers from around the world. AbeBooks has millions
of customers who purchase tens of thousands of books a day from its
global websites (Abebooks.com, Abebooks.ca, Abebooks.co.uk, Abebooks.de,
Abebooks.fr, Abebooks.it and Iberlibro.com). A true internet success
story, AbeBooks.com has been selling books online since 1996, and is a
private company based in Victoria, BC, Canada, with affiliates in
Germany and the United States. Internet Retailer magazine ranked
AbeBooks at No. 73 among North American online retailers in June 2008.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle,
opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's
Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc., seeks to be Earth's most
customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything
they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the
lowest possible prices.