By Harry Glass
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Sainsbury's is muscling into the e-book market with a deal to buy HMV's stake in online digital book retailer and social network Anobii.
The UK's third largest supermarket will pitch itself against online titan Amazon with the acquisition of the shareholding from struggling HMV for a nominal £1.
It said it expects to own a 64 per cent stake in Anobii after investing in the group.
Bookish: An iPad (left) for which there are e-reader apps, and a Sony e-Reader
Anobii allows people to buy e-books to read on a range of devices including e-readers, tablet computers and smartphones.
The social network element of the site allows users to rate and review titles, which can be shared with other Anobii members and wesites.
The service has more than 600,000 users worldwide, with a library of some 60,000 e-books. Its other shareholders are publishers HarperCollins, Penguin and Random House.
Sainsbury's said Anobii's use of social media was a 'clear differentiator' in the e-book marketplace.
Mark Bennett, Sainsbury's head of digital entertainment, said: 'This acquisition is a valuable addition to our digital portfolio and shows our commitment to becoming a key player in the digital entertainment market.
'It further demonstrates how we are constantly looking to innovate and seize opportunities that will support the future growth of our business.'
The name Anobii comes from the Latin phrase for bookworm, Anobium Punctatum.
E-READERS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
E-readers are becoming increasingly popular - digital book sales rose 54 per cent in 2011, accounting for 8 per cent of all book sales - they made up 5 per cent in 2010.
There are more than a dozen types of device on the market now.
Some are dedicated readers which display the printed word in a format that is easy to read (with no back-light); they can be used even in broad daylight. Many can browse the internet but this is not their main function.
These include the Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Sony devices, and Nook. Each has its own online marketplace for books - Kindle users can buy only from Amazon's online bookstore, while Kobo and Nook users buy from Barnes and Noble, and Sony users from its Reader Store. There are others too, including Anobii.
Other types of device such as iPads, tablet PCs and smartphones now have e-reader apps which allow you to download books. These are basically full-colour internet browsing and gaming devices.
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