UK high street retailer John Lewis is to be the first store to officially stock Barnes & Noble Nook eBook readers on these shores. The chain will sell the devices from October, both in-store and online.

Barnes & Noble's Nook eBook readers have long been a credible alternative to Amazon's Kindle devices in the US, but until now, only Sony has successfully rivalled the Kindle's grip on the UK market. That's to change, however, with the launch of the Simple Touch and Simple Touch with Glowlight.

As Pocket-lint revealed earlier this month, Barnes & Noble has been looking to get into the UK for a while, and it is hoping that its partnership with "the UK's leading electrical retailer" will allow it to break Amazon's dominance.

"John Lewis is where knowledgeable customers turn for trusted advice on the best products to purchase, and they are a perfect partner to help launch Nook in the UK," said Jamie Iannone, president of digital products at Barnes & Noble.

"We look forward to bringing more choice and convenience to discerning UK customers with our critically acclaimed line of reading devices and expansive selection of content."

The deal includes the aforementioned two touchscreen devices, with future products potentially being added to John Lewis stores as available. There's currently no word on whether the Nook Color will be stocked, although UK buyers will be able to pruchase one of the tablet devices through the soon-to-be-launched Nook.co.uk website.

Content will also be available on the new site, but it is likely that media purchases will be available through the existing American service, at least initially. As the company says, there is plenty of UK-centric content available already. "Both lightweight devices feature built-in access via Wi-Fi to Barnes & Noble’s digital catalogue of more than 2.5 million digital titles – including top-selling UK books, newspapers and magazines – plus comics, exciting Nook Apps and more," it says.

Pricing is to be revealed nearer launch, but with the Nook Simple Touch currently retailing at $99 in the US, we's expect that it would cost less than the Kindle Touch over here, which is priced at £109 at present.

Can Barnes & Noble shake the dominant hold Amazon has on the eBook reader market in the UK? Let us know in the comments below...