Kobo to partner with Easons

eReading firm Kobo, which today opened its new European software development centre in Dublin, is set to partner with Easons. The competitor to Amazon's Kindle will sell its e-reading devices throughout Easons's 60 Irish stores, while Irish readers will be able to buy the company's catalogue of some 4-milliion eBooks, magazines, and children's titles online through a new Irish website: www.kobobooks.com

Conor Whelan, managing director at Easons said that the company had reviewed a number of different options before partnering with Kobo .

“ This partnership is a key component of our digital strategy and will ensure that Eason remains a leading retailer of physical and digital books in Ireland,” he said.

Prices for Kobo’s devices start at €129.99 for the front-lit Kobo Glo eReader, rising to €149.99 for the Kobo Arc 7 tablet. Last year Easons launched its own e-reading device, the Leaf.

Based in Toronto but owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo's new Dublin centre employs 30 skilled software developers. Working with teams in Toronto, Canada, the Dublin office has become critically important in supporting the development and implementation of Kobo's international eReading ecosystem for booksellers and eeaders around the world.