arnes & Noble Said to Be in Talks to Sell Nook Outside U.S.

(Updates with comment from analyst in fourth paragraph.)

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) – Barnes & Noble Inc., the largest U.S. bookstore chain, is working on a deal to sell its Nook digital devices in stores outside the U.S. for the first time, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The chain is developing a partnership with the U.K.”s Waterstones Booksellers Ltd. to add the Nook to its locations this year, said the person, who declined to be identified because the talks are private. Closely held Waterstones, the largest bookstore chain in the U.K., has about 300 stores.

Barnes & Noble is expanding its digital business overseas to catch up to Amazon.com Inc. and Rakuten Inc.”s Kobo brand, which both sell devices in the U.K. and other countries. The Nook, released in 2009, has been driving sales growth for Barnes & Noble as more people switch to digital books. …….

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-28/barnes-noble-said-to-be-in-talks-to-sell-nook-outside-u-s-.html