Amazon confirms second location for Amazon Books

The giant of online retailing apparently is developing a taste for brick-and-mortar.



In news that is likely to set off a wave of speculation, Amazon confirmed it will open its second physical bookstore, this time at Westfield UTC mall in San Diego, California. Amazon Books is expected to open at the open-air shopping center sometime this summer.



“We are excited to be bringing Amazon Books to the University Towne Center Mall in San Diego and we are currently hiring store managers and associates,” said Amazon spokesperson Sarah Gelman, in a San Diego Union-Tribune report. “Stay tuned for additional details down the road.”



The first Amazon Books opened last November, at University Village in Seattle. The 7,400-sq.-ft. space seeks to combine the benefits of online and offline book shopping, with a curated selected based on Amazon.com customer ratings, preorders, sales, popularity on Goodreads and the company’s curators' assessments. (To see what shoppers think about the store, click here.)



In February, General Growth Properties CEO Sandeep Mathrani caused a firestorm throughout the retail industry when he said during an earnings call that Amazon planned to open 300 to 400 stores nationwide. He later backtracked from his remarks. For its part, Amazon never commented on the matter.



The news about the San Diego location, however, is likely to renew rumors that Amazon is planning to grow its physical footprint into a chain of stores nationwide.