Online book retailer Book Depository, which was acquired by Amazon in 2011, has announced that it will be closing later this month. The UK-based company made the announcement on Tuesday, expressing its regret at having to close its doors after over 15 years in business.
The company said that customers can still place orders until midday on April 26, and it will continue to deliver purchases and provide support for any order issues until June 23. Book Depository was founded in Gloucestershire before expanding to Madrid, Cape Town, and Chennai, and it had delivery operations in the UK and Australia. According to its website, Book Depository offered more than 20 million books with free delivery worldwide. Its vision was to provide “all books to all” by improving range, access, and affordability.
Book Depository Says Goodbye: The End of an Era for Book Lovers
The announcement of the closure was met with a mixture of sadness and anger from Twitter users, with some directly blaming Amazon for the decision. One user wrote, “Fck Amazon for buying over a rival and then closing it down. I am so p**ed off at Amazon right now.” Another user said, “It’s truly a sad day for the intl’ book crowd.”
It is not immediately clear how many jobs will be lost as a result of the closure. The closure comes just weeks after Amazon announced plans to cut 9,000 jobs in the coming weeks, which would mark the second-largest round of layoffs in the company’s history. Amazon CEO Andy Jessy said the cuts were necessary to streamline costs and headcount in light of uncertain economic conditions.
Book Depository’s closure is a blow to book lovers around the world who relied on the company for affordable books and access to indie titles that were otherwise difficult to find. It remains to be seen how the closure will affect the wider book industry and whether it will create an opportunity for other retailers to fill the void left by Book Depository’s departure.