A new Internet bookselling business targeting the academic and professional market has been launched in Witney.

Swotbooks.com aims to sell direct to the customer, cutting out bookshops, and dealing in both traditional and electronic books.

It has also secured a partnership deal with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) as their official e-mail bookseller.

The business went online on Friday and claims it will be able to offer up to 40 per cent discounts in the 160m undergraduate textbook market.

It is the brainchild of partners David Taylor, from Freeland, and Raymond Gray, owner of Bertrams, the UK's largest book wholesaler, who lives in Nottinghamshire.

Mr Taylor said: "At the moment text book material to the student market is almost totally restricted to the traditional paper format. However, we believe that there is enormous potential to move that material into an e-book format."

The new company is based at Marlborough Lane, Witney, and currently employs eight staff.