The Nook e-reader brand is being pulled out of the UK, leaving a great deal of uncertainty in its wake.
Barnes & Nobel, the US book retailer that owns the Nook brand behind the Nook GlowLight (pictured), is having a particularly hard time of things at present. So hard, in fact, that it has just announced that its Nook e-reader team is abandoning the UK.
“Effective from March 15, 2016, Nook will no longer sell digital content in the United Kingdom,” reads a company statement. “The Nook Store on Nook devices sold in the UK, on the UK Nook Reading App for Android, and at nook.com/gb will cease operation.”
The Nook team isn’t completely leaving UK customers in the lurch. Rather, it’s handing its accounts over to Sainsbury’s Entertainment on Demand.
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that such a service existed, but Sainsbury’s launched its Netflix and Amazon Video rival back in December 2014. It now features range of digital music, magazines, and around half a million ebooks.
Over on the Sainsbury’s Entertainment website, the retailer has put up a welcome note to Nook customers, stating that the company will be ready for them “very shortly.”
“We are just putting the finishing touches to the process to allow us to transfer your eBooks and Nook account to Sainsbury’s Entertainment,” it says. “Nook will send you an email with more information very soon.”
Related: How Nook users can safeguard their ebook future
What’s troubling about this arrangement is a line in the Nook notice that says the Sainsbury’s deal will grant Nook customers continued access to “the vast majority” of their purchased ebooks.
In other words, some of the books Nook customers have purchased won’t be available to them any more.
Next, take a look at our Kindle Voyage Review video:
Are you a disgruntled UK Nook customer? Feel free to vent your spleen in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
