Kobo to debut in Italy in the fall

[lecoeur]

This via PR Web. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9686160.htm

Wow, the Italian Ebook market was worth 10M euros last year. Frankly it can only grow and its good competition for Amz who've been there for abt 6 months or maybe a little longer. Linking with an indigenous big hitter should ease their path into the market.

for the link shy an extract:

'Kobo Inc., a global leader in eReading, and the Mondadori Group, Italy’s leading retailer, and publisher of books and magazines, today announced a partnership to bring the Kobo eReading platform and its award-winning eReaders to the Italian consumer. Under the agreement, Mondadori will bring Kobo eReaders to market in the fall and will provide a complete eReading experience. Mondadori produces Italy’s largest network of editorial products in the country and owns one of the biggest Italian online media stores, with a catalogue of over nine million products. This network includes books and eBooks from the most important Italian and international publishers, films, music, games, and gift ideas, and provides the ideal platform to bring Kobo’s leading eReading solution to the Italian consumer. The partnership between Kobo and Mondadori will bring a new way for Italian readers to enjoy their favourite books.

“We are thrilled to bring our premium lineup of Kobo eReaders, services and eBooks to the Italian market through the amazing network of Mondadori,” said Mike Serbinis, CEO, SE, Kobo. “The adoption of digital books in Italy has been tremendously successful with the market valuated at almost €10 million last year. We expect this to grow significantly this year and we are thrilled that Mondadori and Kobo will be working together to give consumers a content-rich eReading experience”.

“The strength of the Mondadori portfolio of books, magazines and stores is combined with the innovative Kobo eReading platform, an excellent solution for the Italian market,” said Maurizio Costa, Mondadori Group Deputy Chairman and CEO. “The way people are reading is transforming and our combined solution will ensure that consumers can access the reading material they want to read with the highest flexibility. The adoption of the Kobo platform by the Mondadori retail chain is a step towards the integration of physical retail and distribution of digital contents. We are convinced that the digital revolution is nothing but an evolution in our publishing role.”