German media firm Bertelsmann SE will stop selling books in German-speaking markets in response to declining sales.
The Wall Street Journal has the scoop: “The company’s retail locations as well as the online store, branded under the ‘Der Club’ label, will cease operations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by the end of 2015, spelling the end to almost all of Bertelsmann’s remaining bookselling activities. The decision isn’t only the latest sign of how digitization is changing the book industry, but also a farewell to the core business that had originally made the German publisher a media giant—the sale of books and other media via a “book club” subscription service.”
The Der Club e-commerce site is still functioning, but the entire operation is expected to shut down by the end of 2015.