Wal-Mart joins Target, stops selling Amazon Kindle tablets over possible pricing dispute

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart is joining Target in the decision to stop selling Amazon Kindles, in a move that appears to have come after a pricing dispute.

The company "recently" made a decision to stop selling Amazon products after existing inventory runs out, a Wal-Mart representative told CNNMoney in an emailed statement on Thursday. The company didn't expressly give a reason for its decision, but said this: "Our customers trust us to provide a broad assortment of products at everyday low prices, and we approach every merchandising decision through this lens."

Amazon did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the news. The decision was first reported by Reuters, which cited an anonymous source and a leaked memo.

The loss of behemoth Wal-Mart as a retail partner could have a noticable impact on Amazon, which the pulled in revenue of $114 billion in its fiscal second quarter.

In May, Target became the first big-box retailer to stop selling the Kindle line from Amazon, which could be perceived as a retail competitor. Target, which began selling Kindles in its brick-and-mortar stores in 2010, also did not provide a reason for its decision.

Amazon unveiled a refreshed line of Kindle e-readers and four Kindle Fire tablets earlier this month. The device is still carried by some bricks-and-mortar retailers, including Best Buy and Staples.