Amazon Says UK Seller Roster Grew 25% in 2021
The number of small- and medium-sized businesses in Britain selling over Amazon increased by more than 25 percent in 2021 — a growth rate far exceeding those posted by businesses in Germany, France or Italy.
The 85,000 small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the United Kingdom that sell on Amazon participated in an average of 1,750 transactions per minute in 2021, Bloomberg reported Saturday (Oct. 1), citing Amazon data. Of those businesses, about 700 reportedly posted annual sales exceeding $1.1 million.
Amazon is highlighting the benefits the platform offers small- and medium-sized businesses as the company fends off antitrust regulators and other critics of its market power around the world.
Bloomberg reported that in England, Amazon faces scrutiny from the country's Competition and Markets Authority, which already has launched an investigation into Amazon's practices. Authorities in the European Union and United States already were conducting probes.
According to Bloomberg, smaller countries including the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden saw a faster rate of growth in small- and medium-sized business use of Amazon as a sales platform, but the figures could be misleading because the starting levels were much lower.
On September 22, PYMNTS cited articles in business media stating that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Chief Executive Andy Jassy had failed in their attempts to avoid appearing before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as part of the agency's investigation into Amazon's business practices.
See also: Jeff Bezos, CEO Andy Jassy Must Go Before FTC in Amazon Probe
PYMNTS noted in August that Amazon, in seeking to spare the executives from having to testify, had called the subpoenas seeking their testimony and that of other company leaders unduly "burdensome."
Read more: Amazon Petitions FTC to Back Down on ‘Unduly Burdensome’ Subpoenas
The FTC reportedly is exploring Amazon services including Prime, Audible, Kindle, Amazon Music and Subscribe.
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