Shares of Walmart rose in pre-market trading on Friday after the company announced a deal with Japanese e-commerce site Rakuten to sell Rakuten’s Kobo e-readers and content in the US mass market.
The alliance brings two of the biggest retailers in the world head-to-head against Amazon in the US.
The Kobo e-readers, as well as e-book and audiobook content, will be available on Walmart’s website and in Walmart’s retail stores in the US later this year, the companies said in a joint release.