Yesterday, the partnership between Fnac Spain and Kobo Spain was officially announced . This new collaboration between companies will further boost the ebook market in Spain, as Kobo devices and ebooks will become more accessible to Fnac customers.
Fnac will supply and sell various Kobo devices on its website, as well as the ebooks currently available in Kobo's online store . In exchange, Fnac will stop selling its own branded devices, meaning eReaders bearing the "Fnac" logo. Fnac has worked with the Spanish company BQ , which created eReaders, tablets, and mobile phones under the Fnac brand, but this partnership ended some time ago. However, it seems the reason wasn't that Fnac was leaving the eReader market, but rather that it wanted to change suppliers . Furthermore, this partnership is not unusual, as Fnac and Kobo have worked together for many years in France and Portugal.
Fnac will stop selling eReaders under its own brand to sell Kobo eReaders
This news will undoubtedly affect the entire eReader market in Spain. On the one hand, BQ will sell fewer eReaders than usual, and on the other hand, the Kobo brand will begin to expand its reach across the Iberian Peninsula—a reach previously dominated by MediaMarkt and La Central.
Furthermore, it is expected that after this merger, Fnac will distribute the Kobo Aura One eReaders , a highly sought-after model that is out of stock in many places and is not expected until 2017.
Personally, I think this union is interesting for both companies as it allows them to compete against Amazon and its empire, but it is also true that this union raises the question of whether or not it is worthwhile to opt for nationally distributed eReaders , something that many already doubted.