Alibris Goes Live in Britain

by Rachel Deahl, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 11/13/2006

Online bookseller Alibris has launched a retail site in the U.K. Alibris U.K. (www.alibris.co.uk), which mimics the format of the e-tailer’s U.S. site selling primarily new and used books, offers more than 60 million titles (new, out-of-print, rare and secondhand) for sale to English-speaking customers in Great Britain and 16 other countries in Europe. Accepting a variety of currencies—the site takes the pound, the euro and 11 other currencies—Alibris also lets customers arrange to purchase titles from their local independent booksellers.

The launch of the site also marks a larger international initiative from the company. According to CEO Martin Manley, Alibris U.K. is intended to be the first in a series of retail sites for non-U.S. customers, with future sites focused on non-English-speaking readers. “Alibris is now backed by investors who are eager to back our international expansion,” Manley said.In May, Alibris was acquired by the U.S. investment group Oak Hill Capital Partners.