AMAZON SAYS IT WILL BRING ‘RETAIL OFFERING’ TO AUSTRALIA

E-commerce giant Amazon plans to launch a “retail offering” in Australia, posing a challenge to some Australian retailers that have been already been struggling to grow sales.

The confirmation from Amazon on Thursday ends months of speculation among investors over whether the company would fully launch in the Australian market.

“Amazon Web Services launched an Australian region in 2012, we launched a Kindle Store on Amazon.com.au in 2013, and we now have almost 1000 employees in the country,” the company said. “The next step is to bring a retail offering to Australia, and we are making those plans now. We are excited to bring thousands of new jobs to Australia, millions of dollars in additional investment, and to empower small Australian businesses through Amazon Marketplace.”

While no official launch date was given, various reports have speculated that Amazon will arrive in September this year.

Amazon is also said to be on the hunt for a warehouse to become one of the first fulfillment centers in either Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.