Dive Brief:
- Amazon-owned Book Depository will close on April 26, according to a notice on the company’s website.
- The pending closure was referred to in an Amazon blog post in early January by CEO Andy Jassy stating, “In November, we communicated the hard decision to eliminate a number of positions across our Devices and Books business,” according to an Amazon spokesperson.
- The international online book seller, which has served customers since 2007, was acquired by Amazon in 2011.
Dive Insight:
The Book Depository’s closure is a result of Amazon’s larger streamlining efforts.
Over last fall and the beginning of 2023, the e-commerce giant eliminated around 18,000 roles, primarily in its Amazon Stores, and People, Experience and Technology divisions. “These changes will help us pursue our long-term opportunities with a stronger cost structure,” Jassy said in a statement at the time.
By March, the company announced it would cut another 9,000 positions, with a focus on AWS, Twitch gaming, advertising and again its People, Experience and Technology teams.
Amazon did not answer questions regarding the specific number of jobs cut at Book Depository or support services for those impacted workers.
Book Depository shoppers can continue to place orders until midday on April 26, with the retailer delivering products and providing customer support until June 23.
The company posited itself as an international book retailer with over 20 million books and free delivery worldwide with no minimum spend.
Amazon, which launched in 1994 as a book e-retailer, last year closed all of its physical bookstores, 4-star stores and pop-ups, saying that it wanted to focus on other brick-and-mortar initiatives and tech offerings.
