Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader to hit stores

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Bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc said on Monday that its Nook electronic reader would be available in most of its physical stores as of Wednesday, ahead of Valentine's Day, ending weeks of delays.

The Nook e-reader, which Barnes & Noble launched in October and competes with devices such as Amazon.com Inc's Kindle, had previously only been available for order on the retailer's website or at in-store kiosks as the No. 1 US bookstore chain struggled to meet what it said in late 2009 was strong demand for the e-reader.

Barnes & Nobles, based in New York, said it was shipping Nook e-readers to the majority of its stores beginning this week, with devices on sale in stores as of Feb. 10.

The Nook's in store debut, originally expected in December, was delayed after Barnes & Noble sold out of the device before the holidays and was unable to get production sufficiently ramped up.