Nook to touch down in UK at John Lewis stores in Oct

The first batch of products to be sold in the UK will notably not include the Nook Tablet

A week after announcing plans to launch its first international expansion, Barnes & Noble is touching down in the UK.  B&N announced Tuesday that it will be offering its Nook e-readers to UK customers via a deal with UK department store John Lewis (which also happens to be the name of a guy I know—he wears gold medallions and calls himself as a “Renaissance man,” but that’s not relevant to anything…).  Brits can buy the Nook devices in store or online starting mid-October.

The first batch of Nooks to be released to UK consumers will not include the Nook Tablet.  Barnes & Noble would not comment on the release date of the Nook tablet.  But starting in October, UK readers will be able to purchase the E Ink readers, including the Nook Simple Touch and the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight.  The online Nook store, Nook.co.uk, will feature more than 2.5 million digital titles, including British books, magazines, and newspapers.

“Always first with the latest technology, John Lewis is thrilled to be chosen as the premier UK launch retailer for the Nook,” said Ed Connolly, director of buying for electronics and home technology at John Lewis.  “This award-winning line of e-readers adds greater choice to this expanding category. We think our customers will love Nook's adaptability thanks to its E Ink display and unique built-in GlowLight, perfect for day or night time reading."

The news comes amid rumors that Amazon’s Kindle Fire will be expanding to British shores in the coming months.  The Kindle e-readers already have a strong international presence.  In May, Amazon partnered with Waterstone, the UK’s largest book-seller, to begin selling Kindle e-readers in its stores.  So B&N has a long way to go before it can catch up. 

But both the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet might have dampened overseas debuts due to the rapid international rollout of Google’s Nexus 7 tablet.  The Nexus 7, which is already available in the US, UK, and Canada, will be coming to France, Spain, and Germany on September 3.  

Also in early September, Amazon is expected to announce a new Kindle Fire at a press event on September 6.

Barnes & Noble announced last week during its earnings call that digital content sales are up 46%, but overall Nook revenues were flat at $192 million.  Markdowns on Nook products and general investment in the Nook business resulted in a loss of $57 million for the Nook segment as a whole.

Image source: droiddog.com