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, 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.
© Thomson Reuters 2012