Argos, Foyles and Blackwells are the latest retailers to sign up to sell Barnes & Noble’s Nook ereader, after John Lewis emerged as the first UK retail partner on Tuesday.

The ereader will hit stores in autumn in time for the Christmas shopping season with the retailers initially selling the Nook Simple Touch and Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight.

Barnes & Noble president of digital products Jamie Iannone said through the partnership with Argos he wanted to a make the Nook easily available to the UK population, with 90% of Brits living within 10 miles of a store.

Argos will stock the Nook in more than 700 stores. It will also be prominently promoted online and through the retailer’s catalogue from October.

Iannone added he was “delighted” to partner with academic book speciailist Blackwells.

He said: “Blackwell’s has built a reputation on its wide selection of titles and extremely knowledgeable staff, much like Barnes & Noble, and we’re delighted to continue in our dedication to the education space.

“As London’s largest independent bookshop chain, Foyles is a trusted name in books and literature in the UK, so we’re pleased to work together to bring Nook and our expansive digital catalog to people passionate about books and reading.” 

Foyles chief executive Sam Husain said: “Barnes & Noble’s Nook was born in and developed by a bookshop, so it is the ideal digital reading device to be sold by one.”