Amazon launches ¡°supermarket¡± delivery service in Spain

Amazon Spain has entered the Spanish grocery market via a new ¡°supermarket¡± section on its amazon.es portal. The e-commerce giant is taking on local supermarket chains such as Carrefour, Mercadona and El Corte Ingl¨¦s by offering a wide range of non-perishable food items and cleaning products.

Using the Amazon app, orders can be received within 24 hours and Amazon Prime subscribers won¡¯t have to pay delivery charges. In addition, Amazon is offering same-day delivery of items ordered before 2.45pm for Madrid residents.

Spanish companies will have the opportunity to reach millions of new customers¡±

The director general of Amazon Spain, Fran?ois Nuyts, says the move is an ¡°important step¡± for the company. ¡°Our food store will be open 24 hours, seven days a week. From now, customers can buy thousands of products at a click without having to wait in line,¡± says the company in a press release.

Nuyts adds that the website will be open to local producers and distributors: ¡°Spanish food companies will have the opportunity to reach millions of new customers, not just in Spain, but throughout Europe.¡±

¡°There are thousands of Spanish brands with high-quality products that customers throughout Europe will be able to try,¡± says Xavier Garambois, vice-president of Amazon¡¯s European retail operations. ¡°From now on, these companies could become Amazon suppliers or sell their products directly to our customers through Amazon Marketplace. We would be delighted to become long-term partners with local foodstuff brands and contribute to exporting Spanish tastes and brands.¡±

In May, Amazon, which employs around 800 people in Spain, announced it had begun declaring retail sales revenue in Spain and paying the corresponding tax, rather than channeling it through Luxembourg.