SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc and Google Inc both opened their digital bookstores in Brazil on Thursday, hot on the heels of e-book offerings by local booksellers in a fast-growing online retail market.
The simultaneous
introduction of the two services highlighted the wide-open nature of
Brazil's $12 billion e-commerce market. Low Internet penetration and a
swelling middle class have spurred bets on strong growth for years to
come.
Amazon
will begin selling its Kindle e-book reader in Brazil in coming weeks
for 299 reais ($140), the e-commerce powerhouse said, ending months of
speculation that it could arrive by acquiring a major competitor.
Brazil's biggest
bookstore chain, Saraiva, is trying to sell its online business, but a
person familiar with Amazon's strategy told Reuters in October that the
U.S. company would stick to its focus on organic growth in foreign
markets.
In Brazil, the
Kindle will take on Samsung and Apple tablets that often cost as much as
twice their U.S. retail prices due to import tariffs, steep taxes and
inflated local production costs. Local bookseller Livraria Cultura sells
its Kobo e-reader for 399 reais.
The rival Google
Play service will offer e-books and movie rentals on computers and
mobile devices running Google's Android operating system.
Amazon and Google start e-book sales in Brazil
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Amazon and Google start e-book sales in Brazil
