Contact: Karen Campbell
karen@karencampbellmedia.com
616-309-4390

Grand Rapids, Mich., November 21, 2012—Family Christian today announces its partnership with Kobo Inc., a global leader in eReading with more than 10-million registered users, to be the first Christian retailer to sell Kobo devices nationwide.

Two Kobo E Ink devices are now available for purchase in Family Christian store locations and online at www.FamilyChristian.com/kobo:

  • Kobo Mini – The Kobo Mini is the world’s smallest and lightest full-featured eReader. At 5”, the Kobo Mini boasts a no-glare E Ink touchscreen, customizable reading settings, 2GB of storage and built-in Wi Fi. The Kobo Mini is designed to be the perfect reading companion for people on the go and is available for $79.99 MSRP.

  • Kobo Touch – The Kobo Touch named Wired Magazine’s January 2012 Editor’s Pick for Best eReader, offers the most natural reading experience – just like reading print on paper. Holding up to 1,000 eBooks, the Kobo Touch supports English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, French and Japanese and comes in black. The Kobo Touch is available for $99.99 MSRP.

Kobo eReaders purchased at Family Christian stores will come with three versions of the Bible all added when the device is registered: The New International Version, the King James Version, and The Voice. These readers will include recommendations from more than 17,000 Christian titles and will have access to the entire Kobo library which boasts more than 3-million titles – 1-million of which are free.

In addition, Kobo will donate a portion of each eReader sale to The James Fund, Family Christian’s non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of orphans and widows around the world.

“We are responding to the needs of our customers by offering them a digital delivery option that is at the cutting-edge of technology,” said Olivia Marx, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for Family Christian. “By partnering with Kobo, we are able to stay current in the ever-changing technology of eReaders and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

“Bringing the Kobo line of eReaders to our stores fulfills our responsibility to offer resources and delivery systems that help people find, grow, share and celebrate their faith.” said Cliff Bartow, President and CEO of Family Christian. “We believe in investing in products and services that grow out from our mission—to be a world-impacting ministry and to serve and glorify God.”

Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s fastest-growing eReading services offering more than 3 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers. Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo has built an open-standards platform to provide consumers with a choice when reading. Inspired by a “Read Freely” philosophy and a passion for innovation, Kobo has expanded to nearly 200 countries, where millions of consumers have access to localized eBook catalogues and award-winning eReaders, like the Kobo Touch. With top-ranked eReading applications for Apple, BlackBerry, Android, and Windows products, Kobo allows consumers to make eReading social through Facebook Timeline and Reading Life, an industry-first social experience that lets users earn awards for time spent reading and encourage others to join in. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo eReaders can be found in major retail chains across the globe. For more information, visit http://www.kobo.com.

Family Christian is the world’s largest Christian specialty retailer and is located in the United States. As of 2012, the retail chain has approximately 281 stores in 261 cities. The retail chain offers a variety of Christian-themed merchandise, including books, Bibles, children’s products, gifts, music and more. For more information visit www.familychristian.com.

The James Fund is a non-profit foundation of Family Christian founded upon the biblical principal and scriptural mandate to care for widows and orphans in the U.S. and around the world. Since its inception in 2003, The James Fund has served over 4-million orphans and widows and donated more than $7,000,000 to programs in need in the U.S. and abroad. For more information about The James Fund, visit www.jamesfund.org