Amazon to close Book Depository online store this month

Retail giant Amazon on Wednesday said it was shutting down its Book Depository online shop at the end of the month as part of a swathe of cuts that have seen thousands of staff fired.

The Gloucester-based operation was founded in 2004 by former Amazon employee Andrew Crawford and business partner Stuart Felton.

Amazon then took over the business, which has offices in London, Gloucester, Madrid, Cape Town and Chennai, in 2011.

“We are sorry to let you know that Book Depository will be closing on 26 April 2023,” the company said in a statement on its website.

It added that it will continue to deliver purchases and provide support on any order issues for the next two months.

The closure, scheduled for April 26, comes amid plans to cut more than 18,000 jobs worldwide jobs across Amazon in order to improve strengthen its balance sheet.

In January, Amazon confirmed the shake-up would affect its books business, which also included a move to stop selling magazines and newspaper subscriptions on its Kindle e-book devices.

Chief executive Andy Jassy – who took over from founder Jeff Bezos in July 2021 – said in a note to employees, which was made public: “These changes will help us pursue our long-term opportunities with a stronger cost structure.”

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com