LONDON: January 15, 2003--just hours after Bloomsbury announced that the long-awaited fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in JK Rowling's spellbinding Harry Potter series will be published on June 21, 2003, Amazon.co.uk (www.amazon.co.uk) announced that customers can, effective immediately, place orders for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) at a 50 per cent discount on the list price of £16.99 to ensure they receive their copy when it becomes available in stores. This discount will be available on both the children's and adult's versions of the book.
Nearly three years after the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the bestselling Harry Potter series and Amazon.co.uk's largest book pre-order ever, Muggles everywhere can now go to Amazon.co.uk and, without leaving their home or office, guarantee they'll be among the first to receive a copy of this feverishly anticipated book when it hits the streets in June.
Customers who pre-order Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at Amazon.co.uk will get the book delivered to them directly on the same day as it is available in stores. In the past several months, more than 140,000 Amazon.co.uk customers--more than twice the total number of customers that pre-ordered Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)--have signed up to be notified as soon as the fifth book becomes available for pre-order.
"Our customers are incredibly excited about the fifth Harry Potter book, and we're thrilled we can provide them with a simple and convenient way to order the book at a 50 per cent discount, and ensure--today--that they are among the first to receive a copy when it's released in June," said Robin Terrell, Managing Director of Amazon.co.uk.
Highlights of Harry Potter Mania
In recent years Harry Potter has dominated Amazon.co.uk's bestseller lists across several categories, and the frenzy shows no signs of waning. Harry Potter sales highlights include:
- DVD: the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone DVD, which was released on May 11, 2002, hit No. 1 on Amazon.co.uk's DVD bestseller list within an hour of becoming available for pre-order in February 2002, and held the No. 1 spot for a total of 11 weeks from that time.
- VHS: the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone video was in the Top 3 on Amazon.co.uk's Video bestseller list for 12 weeks from the time it became available for pre-order in February 2002.
- Books: Five Harry Potter books were among Amazon.co.uk's bestselling books of 2001, including Harry Potter school books: Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at No. 2; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) at No. 5; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) at No. 12; and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Book 1) at No. 14.
- Pre-order record: Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (Book 4) was Amazon.co.uk's largest book pre-order in history, with 65,000 pre-orders--more than 10 times the advance orders placed for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3).
Bewitching video games: the top Harry Potter video games on Amazon.co.uk were Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for the PC and the PlayStation.
All the Latest Happenings in Potterville
Dedicated Harry Potter shop: Amazon.co.uk's dedicated Harry Potter shop (www.amazon.co.uk/harrypotter) is a one-stop destination for all the latest Harry Potter news, information and merchandise. In addition to pre-ordering Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) visitors to the store can browse Harry Potter-related products from across Amazon.co.uk.
For further information please contact the Amazon.co.uk press office on 020 8636 9280.
About Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk opened its virtual doors in October 1998, and strives to be the world's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online. Amazon.co.uk and sellers list millions of new and used items in categories such as Books, Music, Video, DVD, Software, PC & Video Games, Electronics & Photo, Home & Garden, and Toys & Games!. Through Amazon Marketplace, zShops and Auctions any business or individual can sell virtually anything to Amazon.co.uk's millions of customers. Amazon.co.uk customers enjoy the benefits of industry-leading online-shopping technology, such as secure credit-card payment, personalised recommendations, streamlined, 1-Click® ordering and hassle-free Bid-Click® auction bidding. Through Amazon Anywhere, Amazon.co.uk is also available on mobile phones with WAP technology--see www.amazon.co.uk/anywhere for details.
Amazon.com and its affiliates operate seven websites: www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com.
As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-looking Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to potential future losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions, and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, international expansion, consumer trends, inventory, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, fraud, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and all subsequent filings.