Amazon to Close Book Depository Online Shop based in UK

Vendors and publishing partners have been informed that the Book Depository online store will close at the end of April. This comes after the book retailer’s parent organization Amazon declared it had chosen to dispose of various situations across its Gadgets and Books organizations.

Stuart Felton and Andrew Crawford, a former Amazon representative, opened the Gloucester-based book store in 2004 with the motto “selling less of more” rather than “more of less.” It intended to sell 6m titles covering a wide assortment of types and themes, instead of zeroing in exclusively on smash hits. Even though it was once a rival to Amazon, the retail giant bought it in 2011 and tightened its stranglehold on the UK book trade. This worried some in the publishing industry.

The Bookseller, a trade publication, reported that Book Depository will be closing and that customers will not be able to place orders until April 26^th, 2023, in an email sent to vendors and publishing partners. Andy Chart, head of vendor management, said that they will complete a winding down of the business over the coming weeks, including discontinuing their listings as a marketplace seller and closing their website.

Andy Chart said that, he would like to take this opportunity to express his sincere gratitude to everyone at Book Depository and their book-loving customers for the supportive partnership over the years that has assisted them in making printed books more accessible to readers worldwide. He came to his conclusion by saying, he would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you.