Online bookseller World of Books becomes Wob

After almost 20 years of enabling more products to be reused, it was time for a refresh that reflected where the circular e-commerce brand is now

The UK’s largest retailer of preloved books and media, World of Books, has changed its name (well, sort of!). From today, the company has entered a new chapter and changed their name to Wob.

Since 2002, the business has been rehoming preloved books and media with new owners. Starting out with a bag of 500 books rescued from a charity shop bin, they now have over eight million titles in their collection, sell an item somewhere in the world every two seconds and have diversified into new products. After almost 20 years of enabling more products to be reused, it was time for a refresh that reflected where the circular e-commerce brand is now and where it is heading in the future.

Graham Bell, CEO of Wob’s parent company World of Books Group says: “Books will always be our first passion, but for many years now we have been so much more. We’ve always been called Wob by many of our customers and fans – so it made sense to adopt that as the new name for World of Books. It’s still the same great service for our customers and commitment to our purpose: to protect the planet and support charities by enabling more goods to be reused.

This is an exciting change that gives us even greater strength to drive the circular-economy and grow our business further.”

In 2008, the business moved to a Group based structure with the launch of Ziffit, the free trade-in app for used books and media. It was followed a decade later with the introduction of Shopiago, their software service designed to help charities sell online across the world’s leading marketplaces. As the Group has diversified, it is now timeto give the retail arm a unique and differentiated identity. The Group will continue to be known as World of Books Group and their other brands are unaffected by the change.

In 2002, World of Books Group was founded on an ethos to do good, protect the planet and support charities by enabling more goods to be reused. Since then, we've grown into to a global company pioneering the circular economy. Today, we drive the circular economy through three re-commerce brands:

- Wob: Through Wob, we sell. We provide affordable, preloved books and media to customers all over the world. A book leaves our collection of over eight million titles and begins a new chapter every two seconds, enabling more goods to be reused.

- Ziffit: Through Ziffit, we buy. We give people around the world the opportunity to contribute to the circular economy, earn money and protect the planet, by trading their unwanted books and media.

- Shopiago: Through Shopiago, we help others. By sharing the technology that has grown World of Books Group into the business it is today, we’re helping charities increase revenue and reduce waste through re-commerce.

World of Books Group is an accredited B Corp. Certified B Corporations (B Corps™) are for-profit companies that use the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.