"They're heeeeere!" Amazon plans a 400-outlet chain of bookstores

Late last year, Amazon opened its first—and only—book storefront. Dubbed Amazon Books, the store acts as any standard bookseller would, with a few Amazon-centric tweaks. Books face cover out rather than spine out and feature a placard that shows the star rating of the title on Amazon and customer reviews. Pricing from the store matches prices on the site's marketplace.

There's no confirmation of the statement made by Marthrani, so it's hard to say just how accurate the report is. Considering Amazon's stock took a considerable tumble after an underwhelming earnings report last week, the company may be looking to expand into other potential profit hubs—or may hold off on anything that would likely have considerable up-front costs. There's no indication as to which category Amazon Books falls under.

The effect Amazon has had on the book retailer business over last decade has been considerable. The eCommerce behemoth is at least in part blamed for Borders closing its doors for good and the shrinking number of independent booksellers—though that trend has started to reverse in recent years...