Thousands of websites including Amazon, UPS, HSBC, BA, Airbnb and HBO hit in major global outage July 22, 2021 A major server outage brought down thousands of websites across the UK, US and around the world, including HSBC, Barclays, American Express, Delta Airlines, Tesco Bank, alongside the PlayStation Network, Airbnb and Waitrose, as well as ITV and TSB. British Airways was also down. A message on the BA website read: “Service Unavailable – DNS [...]
Over 100 Amazon Prime Air staff let go as drone deliveries fail to get off the ground August 3, 2021 More than 100 Amazon Prime Air employees have lost their jobs as the project has cut back parts of its UK operations, according to reports. Amazon Prime Air, which launched in 2016, is e-commerce giant Amazon’s delivery division for drones. However, a number of employees on the UK team told Wired that the drone project [...]
Amazon executive in conflict of interest row over UK space role April 20, 2021 A senior Amazon executive is said to be in the running for a role as government space adviser despite concerns over serious conflicts of interest. Peter Marquez, head of space policy at Amazon, has been put forward to serve as a temporary, unpaid adviser to the government. He would take up the position alongside his [...]
Amazon opens first contactless grocery store in London March 4, 2021 Amazon has opened a contactless bricks and mortar grocery store in London – the first physical shop the tech giant has launched outside of the US. The Amazon Fresh store in Ealing will carry a private UK food brand dubbed “by Amazon”, and will let consumers skip the checkout queue. Shoppers will scan a smartphone [...]
Showboat: Amazon boss Jeff Bezos revealed as owner of $500m superyacht May 10, 2021 As the richest person on the planet, it’s fair to say money is no object to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. But even by the standards of the super-rich, his latest purchase is likely to make waves. The billionaire businessman has been revealed as the owner of a mammoth superyacht worth a reported $500m (£354m) that [...]
Deliveroo founder and Amazon gain £70m shares windfall after today’s court ruling June 24, 2021 Shares in Deliveroo shot up 8.5 per cent today after Britain’s Court of Appeal ruled that its riders were self-employed, dismissing an appeal by the IWGB union against past judgements on their status. The boss of Deliveroo saw his fortune balloon by nearly £25m after the company’s riders were dealt a blow in their fight [...]
Amazon to slim down Deliveroo stake after blockbuster float March 23, 2021 Amazon is set to trim down its stake in Deliveroo following the food delivery firm’s blockbuster initial public offering this year. The ecommerce giant plans to sell around 23m shares as part of the stock market debut, allowing it to raise as much as £107m from the deal. Its stake in Deliveroo will be reduced [...]
Amazon pays no European corporation tax despite record sales last year May 4, 2021 Amazon reportedly did not pay any corporation tax in Europe last year despite reporting record sales, raising fresh questions over the ecommerce giant’s tax planning. The US firm, which has its European headquarters in Luxembourg, recorded sales income of €44bn (£38bn) in the region last year but reportedly not have to pay any corporation tax [...]
FSB: Reform needed as issues with e-commerce are harming small businesses October 16, 2023 The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is calling for reform as new research suggests small businesses are facing an abundance of online marketplace challenges. The research, which surveyed 1,054 small businesses, showed 53 per cent of participants currently use an online platform for their business, with 71 per cent calling these “very important.” Yet 39 [...]
Digital stores predicted to appear on the high street as automation threatens retail jobs June 19, 2023 Large e-commerce stores are likely to crop up as physical stores across the UK high street in the next five to ten years, according to predictions aided by AI. Money saving website Savoo used AI to visualise the future of the British high street and it suggested more than 11,000 chain stores would disappear by [...]