As the world’s second-most-valuable public company weighs tax breaks and other goodies offered by 20 eager suitors, it stands accused of being a corporate welfare leech that should be giving the government and workers more rather than milking taxpayers.
Amazon stands out for its success in offloading its power costs and also because it dominates America’s cloud business, which has gone from nonexistent to using 2 percent of U.S. electricity in about a decade.
The move represents a formidable challenge to pharmacy chains including Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and CVS Health Corp., the two largest drugstore chains in the United States.
With its new program rolling out Thursday, contractors around the country can launch independent businesses that deliver Amazon packages.
Kroger Co. and United Kingdom-based online grocer Ocado Group are working on identifying sites for three automated distribution centers in the United States this year and may open as many as 20 within three years.
The online retailer has made a number of changes to Whole Foods since it bought the chain last year.
The announcement came the same day Amazon reported that first-quarter profit more than doubled from a year ago, fueled by the growth of online shopping and the cloud-computing service it provides to businesses and government agencies.
CEO Jeff Bezos quantified the size of Amazon’s Prime membership for the first time Wednesday. Amazon launched the service 13 years ago as a way to foster customer loyalty.
Using the criteria the internet giant set for its secondary headquarters, IBJ did some digging and reached some conclusions on the city’s fitness for the $5 billion project.
Indiana lawmakers didn’t propose any measures aimed specifically at attracting Amazon’s second headquarters, nor did they pass two bills that might have enhanced central Indiana’s bid.
After Amazon acquired Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion in August, rival grocers began preparing for the day the online retail giant would expand Whole Foods grocery delivery.
It was a prime holiday season for Amazon: The online retailer scored big with voice-activated gadgets, added a record number of Prime members and benefited from its recent purchase of Whole Foods.
Any tax-incentive package to lure Amazon’s HQ2 to Indiana could easily top half-a-billion dollars and climb to more than $1 billion.
A project of this size could actually change Indiana’s per-capita income. It could generate 30,000 spin-off jobs and produce hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue.
More deals could be on the horizon as dozens of companies—including local powerhouses such as Simon, Eli Lilly and Anthem—game out what Amazon’s huge ambitions could mean for their bottom lines.
If Amazon wants to locate its HQ2 in the most-affordable spot for housing, there’s an obvious choice: Pittsburgh. But Philadelphia and Indianapolis aren't far behind.
Now that Amazon.com Inc. has whittled down the list of cities it’s considering for its second North American headquarters, here are some pros and cons of the places on Amazon’s very long shortlist.
Local government officials and economic development experts expressed excitement Thursday about the selection of Indianapolis as a finalist for Amazon’s second headquarters, while acknowledging there’s a long way to go to land the grand prize.
Seattle-based Amazon solicited proposals in September for its second corporate seat, a project that’s expected to cost more than $5 billion and create 50,000 jobs.
Both couriers now have entered the holiday season’s returns cycle, which also promises to be busy.
