Fifteen years after its UK launch, the shopping site employs tens of thousands of people in areas where traditional industries have gone under. Simon Usborne takes a browse behind the scenes
Amazon stats
The UK site now offers more than 100m products in more than 30 categories.
The company has 6,000 permanent employees in the UK, and is now recruiting more than 15,000 agency workers for the Christmas rush.
Amazon UK’s delivery bill has exceeded £1bn in the past five years.
On 3 December 2012, Amazon.co.uk’s busiest day, a lorry left one of its warehouses on average once every two minutes and 10 seconds. The site received 3.5m orders in those 24 hours, or 41 every second. Two million products were delivered.
Workers, or “associates” can be required to walk up to 15 miles per day while picking products. They are entitled to a 30-minute lunch break during an eight-hour shift. Agency workers may be let go at any time.
£4.2bn Total UK sales last year
Turnover topped £320m
£2.4m Amount Amazon paid in corporation tax last year, out of a total tax bill of £3.2m
£2.5m Amount Amazon received in Government loans last year.
Amazon avoids paying tax on UK sales because it routes them through its European headquarters in Luxembourg, which has low taxes.
