British office of fair trading okays Amazon buy of Book Depository

The British Office of Fair Trading has given the thumbs up to Amazon’s purchase of the Book Depository. The buy was announced earlier this year, although the publishing industry in Britain feared the move would create a monopoly. The OFT said that, “Amazon’s share of the UK online book market was strong,” but that […]

Patrick Stafford 30 October, 2011

The British Office of Fair Trading has given the thumbs up to Amazon’s purchase of the Book Depository.

The buy was announced earlier this year, although the publishing industry in Britain feared the move would create a monopoly.

The OFT said that, “Amazon’s share of the UK online book market was strong,” but that the Book Depository had only “between 2-4% of online retailing” of hardcover books in Britain.

Amazon has said the Book Depository will continue to operate independently.