Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN) first bookstore could be just the tip of the iceberg for the retailer as it plans more physical locations and has a team in place to grow the division.
Steve Kessel is leading the store initiative within Amazon, according to Re/code. Kessel was involved in the Kindle launch and later left, then rejoined the company to work on a secret project and opened Amazon's first bookstore.
Jennifer Cast and Cameron Janes are also part of the project. Their mission, according to Re/code, is to reimagine the store as a marriage of Amazon's expertise and the best of physical retail.
Amazon Books opened its first location in Seattle in November and is looking to staff a second location in Southern California.
A report earlier this week that Amazon could open 300 to 400 stores has not been confirmed and the man who made the comment during a conference call—Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of General Growth Properties—has issued a statement saying it "was not intended to represent Amazon's plans."
Amazon's brick-and-mortar efforts are being watched obsessively. The bookstores are not the first—the company has opened pop-up shops and has a presence in college bookstores—but they are the best representation of Amazon's plans.
The stores feature a data-driven selection of merchandise by featuring books deemed most popular per reader recommendations and sales, and the locations can also double as pick-up and drop-off points for other Amazon shipments, helping to reduce shipping costs.
For more:
-See this Re/code article
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