Irish booksellers Hughes & Hughes together with the Trinity Group marked world book day yesterday by launching Europe's largest Internet bookshop. The online store, at www.hughesbooks.com, contains more than 2.4 million titles, with a strong emphasis on Irish titles.

The new site features a secure credit card ordering service, and the company says orders will usually be dispatched within 24 hours. Chief executive Mr Derek Hughes said: "We wanted to deliver the ultimate book site where choice was not limited to geography nor lack of space, and I think we have succeeded." The world's largest online bookstore, Amazon, boasts 2.5 million titles, and although it has yet to turn a profit it enjoys strong investor confidence.