Walmart and Rakuten take on Amazon with Kobo e-reader alliance

Walmart has struck a deal with Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten that will see the US company become the exclusive mass retailer of Kobo e-readers. Co-branded Walmart and Kobo apps will be released for ebook and audiobook content, which will be available through Walmart's website, and Walmart retail stores will also sell digital book cards.Rakuten bought Canadian company Kobo in 2011 and released its e-readers in Japan before Amazon got into the market. The partnership with Walmart, however, wi