If for some reason you want to buy a Kindle or Kindle Fire tablet from Walmart, your time may soon be running out. Walmart announced today their intentions to stop selling Amazon’s line of Kindle devices once its commitments and inventory run out, a move the retailer chalks up to its “merchandising strategy.” What’s unclear at this time is exactly what Walmart means by merchandising strategy, or what underlying factor is really driving the move.
A company representative issued the following statement:
“Recently, Walmart Stores, Inc. made a business decision to not carry current Amazon products beyond our purchase commitments and existing inventory. Our customers trust us to provide a broad assortment of products at everyday low prices, and we approach every merchandising decision through this lens. We will continue to offer our customers a broad assortment of tablets, eReaders and accessories at a variety of great price points. This decision is consistent with our overall merchandising strategy.” – Walmart PR
The move makes Walmart the second major retailer to stop selling the Kindle tablets; Target stopped selling Amazon’s eReaders and Kindle Fire tablets back in May.
[via Reuters, All Things D]