Amazon dipped its toe into the waters of brick-and-mortar stores with the opening of a book store in its home city of Seattle in November. An expansion of book stores, which the company has not confirmed, would be a surprise reversal from the online retailer credited with driving physical booksellers out of business.
“You’ve got Amazon opening brick-and-mortar book stores and their goal is to open, as I understand, 300 to 400 book stores,” Sandeep Mathrani, chief executive of General Growth Properties Inc., said on Tuesday, responding to an analyst’s question after it reported earnings.
On the call, Mathrani compared Amazon’s plans to similar moves by eye wear company Warby Parker or men’s clothing retailer Bonobos, both of which opened physical stores after finding success online.
An Amazon spokeswoman said the company does not comment on “rumours and speculation.”
