Books Etc will be resurrected next week as an online offer, after the brand and website was bought out of administration following the collapse of parent Borders UK last year.
Books Etc was bought by Capital Organisation and the site - which is being managed by independent publisher Legend Press - goes live on February 22. It will go head to head with competitors including Amazon, Waterstone’s and The Book Depository.
Legend Press ecommerce manager Tom Chalmers said he hopes the company’s sourcing capability, coupled with a social media push, will help cement it as a competitor in the books market, despite the rise of online giants such as Amazon being partly to blame for the demise of Borders UK.
He said: “It [Books Etc] is a strong brand and we will be competing on price and also personality.”
The buy also included a database of 1.3 million customers. Books Etc has emailed those customers to ask them what type of loyalty scheme they would prefer, and how they would want to benefit from any programme. All respondents were offered 5% off all purchases made on the site during its launch week.
Books Etc also plans to run weekly promotions, which Chalmers said would not just focus on best-sellers, but include hand-picked special collections. It will also target schools with a points collector scheme.
Books Etc will also offer customers the chance to sell second-hand books, similar to Amazon’s offer.
Chalmers said the development of the site will be based on customer feedback. He said options such as e-books, DVDs and CDs could be added “dependent on appetite”.
He added that Books Etc will also look for international growth as “we look to push the site up there with the big booksellers”.
Chalmers said: “Ultimately publishing has had many difficulties, with the market dominated by just a few, but I think there is room for someone else.”
Capital Organisation is an investment company which also runs Itchy City Guides.
1 Reader's comment