DNP, DOCOMO and CHI Group to Establish Hybrid Bookstore
Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP), NTT DOCOMO, INC. and CHI Group Co., Ltd. (CHI) announced today an agreement to establish on December 21 a joint-venture firm named 2Dfacto, Inc. that will begin selling electronic books online from early January 2011.
- (1888PressRelease) December 27, 2010 - Thereafter, they further aim to establish 2Dfacto as a brand-new type of fully integrated digital/physical hybrid bookstore to sell electronic and printed books within 2011.
The joint venture is the outcome of an earlier agreement between DOCOMO and DNP to partner in electronic publishing and retail, which was announced in August. For the new company, DNP will invest 51%, DOCOMO 40% and CHI 9%. Paid-in capital will total 980 million yen (US$11.6 million).
2Dfacto’s system will be based on “honto,” DNP’s existing online bookstore for electronic books, and will be enhanced with mobile data-distribution and payment systems from DOCOMO. Under the plan, honto’s existing customers will be transitioned to 2Dfacto at the startup of e-book sales in early January 2011. At launch, customers will be able to purchase e-books online, including with seven of the latest mobile devices offered by DOCOMO: Xperia, GALAXY S, REGZA Phone, LYNX 3D, Optimus chat, GALAXY Tab and SH-07C. Eventually, 2Dfacto plans to offer some 100,000 titles from about 200 providers, including major publishers, in a variety of e-book formats.
The three partners will continue ongoing discussions aimed at expanding 2Dfacto’s business scope within 2011 through the integration of “bk1,” an existing online bookstore for printed books that is operated by CHI, a DNP group company. Thereafter, 2Dfacto will be additionally linked with physical bookstore chains in the DNP group, including Maruzen, JUNKUDO and Bunkyodo, resulting in a truly digital/physical hybrid bookstore network.
2Dfacto will build and operate an open electronic platform to distribute e-books through its digital/physical hybrid bookstore. The joint venture also will develop integrated marketing and promotion initiatives that take advantage of the company’s interlocked network of online and physical bookstores.
About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO is the world’s leading mobile operator and provider of advanced mobile services. The company serves over 56 million customers in Japan, including 48 million using i-mode™, the world’s most popular mobile e-mail/Internet platform, and 55 million using FOMA™, the world’s original 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA. As a leader in the development of cutting-edge mobile technologies, DOCOMO is continually expanding the role of mobile phones as versatile and highly personalized “lifestyle tools” for everyday life, including with a wide range of innovative services for mobile payments, GPS, mobile TV, multimedia content and much more. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com.
FOMA and i-mode are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT DOCOMO, INC. in Japan and/or other countries.
FOMA service is only available in Japan.
About Dai Nippon Printing
Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) is one of the world’s largest comprehensive printing companies, with annual sales of 1.583 trillion yen and 40,000 employees (as of March 2010). DNP’s wide range of businesses include publication printing, commercial printing, smart cards, business forms, network business and electronic components. While DNP maintains a 50% market share in Japan’s domestic magazine printing, the company continues to leverage its information processing techniques and printing technologies to promote e-publishing solutions. For more information about DNP, please visit www.dnp.co.jp/eng/.
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