Amazon May be Planning to Open Brick and Mortar Stores

Posted 12/07/2009 at 6:05am | by Paul Lilly

4

Comments

Print

Sales tax aside, how cool would it be to pick up your Amazon.com order locally instead of waiting for your items to ship? According to recent rumors, that's a very real possibility, provided you reside in the U.K.

The Times Online in London says Amazon "has launched a secret search for brick-and-mortar stores to support its rapidly growing website." The online mega chain is said to be searching for high-profile locales while the Borders book chain is shuttering its doors.

"When Amazon was just selling books and CDs that fitted easily through the letterbox it was fine to be a web-only business, but now it has branched out into everything from children's bikes to electricals it believes it could boost sales by having stores that offer a collection point for shoppers. It will probably be an Argos-sytle operation," said a source familiar with Amazon's proposals.

It sounds risky to move from the web to the street, but if anyone can pull it off, it would be Amazon. During the credit crunch, Amazon defied Wall Street forecasts with a 28 percent surge in sales to $5.5 billion. The company's value has never been higher, including during the dotcom era.

Naturally, Amazon had no comment on the rumor.

Image Credit: uncrate.com