The UK unit of Internet retailer Amazon.com will be among a select group of British retailers taking pre-orders for Microsoft's Xbox, the market's newest computer game console, the company said on Thursday. The console, which launches Thursday in the U.S., will not be sold in the U.K. until March, but the company expects to attract heavy traffic from consumers looking to pre-order the $429.30 game console. In the U.S., Amazon had sold out of its allotment in five minutes, a spokeswoman said. As in the U.S., Amazon's German and U.K. units are predicted to earn a first-ever pro-forma pre-tax profit in the fourth quarter, making it crucial for the retailer this Christmas season to stock up on the anticipated hot-sellers, including Xbox and Harry Potter merchandise.
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