Amazon chooses Oregon for latest offline store
In this article (5)
Online retail giant Amazon has decided on Oregon as the location of its third brick and mortar store.
The new store will open at the Washington Square mall just outside Portland, in what US media describe as a “bookish metro area” – Tigard.
The retailer appears to be choosing sites which house Apple stores and are frequented by university students.
Amazon’s first bookstore opened in Seattle’s University Village mall and its second in San Diego’s Westfield UTC mall.
While Amazon describes its stores as bookstores, John Mutter, editor of bookseller newsletter Shelf Awareness, prefers to call it “an electronics store that sells books”.
“It has a very misleading name,” he said.
One of the US’ much-loved specialist bookstores Powell’s Books is headquartered in Portland and CEO Miriam Sontz told USA Today it was no surprise Amazon should choose the city for one of its first physical locations.
“When asked why he robbed banks, Willy Sutton reportedly replied ‘because that’s where the money is.’ I am certain that Amazon has the data to show that opening a store in the Portland area will be financially beneficial to the company,” she said.
Mutter predicts Amazon will open 12 to 18 stores over the next two years or so.
Questions & Answers
Q.Where will Amazon's new brick and mortar store be located?
Where will Amazon's new brick and mortar store be located?
The new store will be situated in the Washington Square mall, just outside Portland, in an area called Tigard. This is Oregon as the location for Amazon's third physical outlet.
Q.What kind of locations does Amazon seem to prefer for its physical stores?
What kind of locations does Amazon seem to prefer for its physical stores?
Amazon appears to select sites that host Apple stores and are popular with university students. Its previous bookstores were opened in Seattle's University Village and San Diego's Westfield UTC mall.
Q.Why does John Mutter describe Amazon's stores as electronics stores that sell books?
Why does John Mutter describe Amazon's stores as electronics stores that sell books?
John Mutter, editor of Shelf Awareness, believes the 'bookstore' name is misleading. He prefers to call them 'an electronics store that sells books' due to their product focus.
Q.How many physical stores does John Mutter predict Amazon will open in the near future?
How many physical stores does John Mutter predict Amazon will open in the near future?
Mutter predicts that Amazon will expand its physical presence by opening between 12 and 18 new stores. This expansion is expected to occur over the next two years or so.
Reader pulse
Is Amazon's bookstore strategy effective?
23,122 votes so far