Foyles, one of the UK’s most predominant bookstores, is launching a new ebook store in conjunction with Germany based Txtr. This new service will be accompanied by official applications on the iOS and Android Platforms. The eBook shop is operated jointly by the marketing and merchandising teams of Txtr and Foyles.
Sam Husain, Foyles’ Chief Executive, comments: “At Foyles we are very excited by the developments in reading and bookselling afforded by digital technology. Our new eBook store and apps, Foyles powered by txtr, make buying and reading eBooks as easy as possible, without the added expense of having to buy new hardware. It is the next step in our on-going journey to serve our customers with a choice of books, across the widest possible range, in every format.”
Txtr has been a company in the ebook game for a long time and has great success in their local German market. They have applications for every major platform and sell books directly to customers. This partnership with Foyles gives them access into one of the largest markets in Europe. Europe is still behind the US with respect to the average eBook penetration, but the gap is narrowing with growth figures of over 200% per year in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands. The UK is the most advanced eReading market in Europe: more than 1 out of 10 adults use an eReader. “There is a tremendous opportunity in the eBook market, which is expected to grow to US$ 35 billion in 2015 globally,” says Christophe Maire, CEO of txtr. Both Amazon and Kobo have made great inroads in the European market, as it is shaping up to be a key battleground.
Once the UK store is up and running, Foyles and Txtr plan on rolling out new stores in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Currently, with the Foyles deal and the online store launching, they will have to compete with WH Smith who has partnered with Kobo for their own online store.
[showhide type=’pressrelease’]Berlin, 13 February 2012, www.corporate.txtr.com – Foyles, Britain’s world renowned bookseller, launches a brand new eBook service together with eReading apps on Android and iOS, under the name ‘Foyles powered by txtr’. txtr is a leading eReading solutions provider on numerous branded smartphones, tablets and PCs. Through its partnership with Foyles, txtr adds more focus on the UK eBook market in 2012. The eBook shop is operated jointly by the marketing and merchandising teams of txtr and Foyles.
Sam Husain, Foyles’ Chief Executive, comments: “At Foyles we are very excited by the developments in reading and bookselling afforded by digital technology. Our new eBook store and apps, Foyles powered by txtr, make buying and reading eBooks as easy as possible, without the added expense of having to buy new hardware. It is the next step in our on-going journey to serve our customers with a choice of books, across the widest possible range, in every format.”
Thomas Leliveld, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of txtr, comments: “The partnership with Foyles is yet another step for txtr in the fast growing English eBook market. Foyles is one of these venerable long established British brands and the company is for book lovers what brands such as Rolls Royce or Aston Martin are for car aficionados. The quality of their specialist staff is well-known and the depth of their book offering is legendary, also outside the UK. It is our intention to work closely with Foyles to give their digital customers also the best user experience and eBook offering.”
Other English speaking eBook markets such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada are growing fast as well. The partnership with Foyles enables txtr to capitalise on this opportunity through the roll-out of the Foyles powered by txtr eReading service in these markets. The company has the apps, the platform, local eBook catalogues and is capable of digital distribution and invoicing in the leading currencies and regions.
Europe is catching up
Europe is still behind the US with respect to the average eBook penetration, but the gap is narrowing with growth figures of over 200% per year* in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands. The UK is the most advanced eReading market in Europe: more than 1 out of 10 adults use an eReader. “There is a tremendous opportunity in the eBook market, which is expected to grow to US$ 35 billion in 2015 globally,” says Christophe Maire, CEO of txtr.
“The industry will see some significant changes in the coming years. Digitalisation of reading offers a lot of opportunities for existing and new readers. Distribution and reach will be a key driver and device makers and mobile operators are poised to take their fair share of the growing pie. And recent research shows that consumers are willing to pay a reasonable price for eBooks. We focus on the book discovery process with expected innovations in social reading and recommendations and the quality and size of our local catalogues,” says Maire.
About txtr
txtr provides a global eReading solution provider to leading book retailers, device makers and mobile operators, providing hundreds of millions of smartphone and tablet users access to an eReading app and eBooks. The txtr solution offers an end-to-end eBook discovery, purchase, read and share consumer experience, built on a cloud based back-end platform with store, a personal library and an extensive international eBook catalogue. txtr currently already operates more than 25 local language eBook stores and is growing its international eBook offering. www.corporate.txtr.com
About Foyles
Foyles is Britain’s leading independent bookseller. The family-owned bookshop chain was first established by brothers William and Gilbert Foyle in 1903. Foyles has branches on Charing Cross Road, at the Southbank Centre, in St Pancras International, Westfield London, One New Change and Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, Bristol, as well as an e-commerce website www.foyles.co.uk
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Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
