SEATTLE--Aug. 20, 2001--Amazon.com (www.amazon.com) today announced that Circuit City stores will offer several thousand consumer electronics items for sale at Amazon.com, with purchases ready for immediate pickup at hundreds of Circuit City stores nationwide.
The expanded selection and in-store pickup will launch in November -- in time for the holiday shopping season. Where both Amazon.com and Circuit City offer the same electronics products, customers will have a choice between traditional Amazon.com shipping options and immediate pickup from more than 600 Circuit City stores. Items offered by Circuit City that are not offered in the Amazon.com Electronics store will be available exclusively for in-store pickup; merchandise offered by Amazon.com that is not available at Circuit City will be delivered exclusively from Amazon.com.
"We're thrilled to be working with Circuit City to provide our customers with an even greater selection of cool electronics products, as well as the option of in-store pick-up," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "For electronics shoppers who want their merchandise right away, our new in-store pickup option is a great way for them to get exactly what they want, when they want it."
"Circuit City is excited to join our name with that of the leading customer-focused e-tailer and believes this agreement will serve as a revenue generator for both companies. Circuit City and Amazon.com have the knowledge, skills and people in place to make this a great customer experience," said W. Alan McCollough, president and chief executive officer of Circuit City Stores, Inc.
Under terms of the agreement, Amazon.com will be paid a percentage of the revenue for Circuit City electronics merchandise purchased through Amazon.com's Electronics store. Amazon.com will be responsible for processing the transaction; Circuit City will be responsible for product fulfillment, as well as providing product-related customer service. Circuit City will accept returns on merchandise picked up at Circuit City stores. Additional terms of the multi-year agreement were not disclosed, but both Amazon.com and Circuit City expect to offer additional customer benefits together in the future.
The agreement with Circuit City is the latest in a series of alliances between Amazon.com and other companies, including Toysrus.com, Borders Group, Inc. and America Online, which use or will use Amazon.com's industry leading online retail platform for varying aspects of their businesses.
The alliance with Circuit City is one more expansion of Amazon.com's electronics business, which launched in July 1999 and is the company's second-largest U.S. business, after books. The company has since added thousands of additional products to its Electronics line, including a Camera & Photo store and a Cell Phones & Service store. Amazon.co.uk, serving the UK, and Amazon.de, serving Germany, recently added electronics stores tailored to customers in those countries.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com (Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries) is the Internet's No. 1 retailer. Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) opened its virtual doors on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection, along with online auctions and free electronic greeting cards. Amazon.com seeks to be the world's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online. Amazon.com lists millions of unique items in categories such as electronics, kitchen products, books, music, DVDs, videos, camera and photo items, toys, software, computer and video games, tools and hardware, lawn and patio items, and wireless products. Through Amazon.com zShops, any business or individual can sell virtually anything to Amazon.com's more than 35 million customers (cumulative customer accounts), and with Amazon.com Payments, sellers can accept credit card transactions, avoiding the hassles of offline payments.
Amazon.com operates four international Web sites: www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de and www.amazon.co.jp. It also operates the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), the Web's comprehensive and authoritative source of information on more than 275,000 movies and entertainment titles and 1 million cast and crewmembers dating from the birth of film in 1891 to 2003.
Amazon Anywhere is the leader in mobile e-commerce, providing access from anywhere in the world to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de on personal digital assistants (PDAs) and through handheld wireless Internet devices that use HDML or the Wireless Application Protocol.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, Amazon.com's anticipated losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, strategic alliances, strategic partnerships and business combinations, seasonality, potential fluctuations in operating results and rate of growth, management of potential growth, risks of system interruption, international expansion, consumer trends, risk of fulfillment center optimization, inventory risks, limited operating history, risks related to fraud and Amazon.com Payments, and risks of new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000, and all subsequent filings, including Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Circuit City Stores, Inc. Forward-Looking Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements related to Circuit City Stores, Inc. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Additional discussion of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management's projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations is contained in Circuit City Stores, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.