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| Elakehal | |
Emad Eldeen Elakehal, a co-founder and former chief technology officer at the Book Depository, will launch ibiidi.com, a global online bookselling website "selling titles in multiple languages and offering customers the option to pay for titles in a number of different currencies," the Bookseller reported.
The company's goal is to be price competitive, focusing initially on Middle East and North African territories where other global sellers "have no or little presence," Elakehal said. The website will begin by selling through third-party marketplaces, including Amazon and eBay, before launching direct-to-consumer later in the year.
Although Elakehal is currently talking to larger publishers and wholesalers to fulfill orders, "We are actually more interested in small presses and hard-to-find titles than those bestsellers that most booksellers already have on offer," he said.
Elakehal co-founded the Book Depository in 2004 and led its IT development and operations until November 2014, the Bookseller noted. In 2011, Amazon bought the Book Depository, which had become a strong overseas competitor.