Kobo Kicks Off European Expansion at the London Book Fair

LONDON, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- London Book Fair -- Kobo, the leader in global  eReading, today announced its plans to launch local content stores in Germany and Spain starting in May 2011, with local stores for France, Italy and the Netherlands following shortly after.  Kobo's European stores will offer customers a rich assortment of local content, merchandised to the tastes and preferences of readers across Europe.  Kobo has partnered with European publishers to offer a wide range of titles on a selection of localized applications for today's popular eReading devices.  This launch marks the beginning of Kobo's European expansion with other countries to follow.

Kobo will be in the Digital Zone & Theater Booth #Y655.  Attendees who stop by and check in via Foursquare will receive Kobo merchandise.  In addition, Michael Tamblyn, Executive Vice President of Content, Sales and Merchandising for Kobo is scheduled to speak at the London Book Fair Supply Chain Seminar on Wednesday, April 13 at 11:10 a.m. in Cromwell Room 1.

"European readers have been looking for an eBook service that encompasses the full range of mobile devices, tablets, and eReaders - we are happy to step up and fulfill that need. This announcement marks Kobo's entry into the European market and an industry first.  In providing local content and reading experiences for European readers, Kobo continues to build on the vision of giving people around the world the freedom to read on any device, and share their love of reading with friends," said Michael Serbinis, CEO, Kobo.

Today, Kobo has over 3 million users, and customers in over 100 countries worldwide - in a year of dramatic growth, Kobo added just over one million of those users in less than 90 days.  In addition to its global store, Kobo already offers locally merchandised English language stores in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.  The Kobo store offers a selection of over 2.3 million eBooks, newspapers and magazines with titles ranging from the NYT bestseller list, the hottest new releases, thrillers, romance and over a million free books. Since its launch in 2009, Kobo has been dedicated to an open cloud-based platform, enabling users to read on any device, and with open standards that give users freedom to build their lifetime libraries as they choose.

Kobo is changing eReading with Kobo Reading Life, an industry-first social experience that lets passionate readers track and share their love of reading.  With Reading Life, Kobo users can connect with friends or book clubs and discuss their favorite books on Facebook.  Statistics help users track their Reading Life, and earn awards – just for spending time reading.

Kobo users can download free eReading applications at www.kobo.com for most smartphones, netbooks, tablets, desktops and laptops.  Kobo also supports a wide range of dedicated eReaders like the Sony eReader and Nook, and has partnered with device OEMs like Samsung and RIM.  The popular Kobo Wireless eReader is available in stores around the world such as Walmart, Indigo Books & Music, Borders, Angus & Robertson, Whitcoulls, and Swindon, and will soon be available across Europe.

About Kobo Inc.

Kobo is a global eReading service with more than 2.3 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers – one of the largest eReading catalogues in the world.  Kobo believes consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device and has attracted millions of readers from over 100 countries across the globe.   Kobo has top ranked eReading applications for iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Palm WebOS, Windows, MacOS and is the eReading application of choice for leading tablet OEMs.  The Kobo eReader is also available at leading retailers including Indigo, Walmart, Best Buy, Borders, WHSmith, Angus & Robertson's, and Whitcoull's.  For more information on Kobo, please visit www.kobo.com.

SOURCE Kobo