“Amazon.com Inc. recent breakup with longtime shipping partner FedEx Corp. shows how far the e-commerce giant has come in creating its own delivery network. Over the years, Amazon has played down its ambitions. But as consumers flock to its site for everything from toilet paper to TVs, Amazon has quietly blanketed the nation with hundreds of sprawling suburban warehouses and neighborhood package-sorting centers, flooded the streets with tens of thousands of vans and even taken to the airways. The costly effort is enabling Amazon to control how goods reach its customers—and increasingly turning it from a customer of delivery companies into a rival.”

“Amazon.com Inc will need to raise prices in the United States by about 2.1%-2.6% on average to offset the impact of fresh tariffs slapped by the Trump administration on various Chinese goods, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts estimated.”

“Amazon Prime Day is set for next week, and by all accounts Amazon.com Inc.’s online and in-store shopping frenzy is likely to be a payments-palooza. The event, which despite its name is set to cover two full days—July 15 and 16—this year, will generate $5.8 billion in sales, with $3.6 billion, or 62%, of that total coming from U.S. shoppers, projects Coresight Research, a New York City-based firm that follows retail spending. Internet Retailer is even more optimistic, forecasting $6.14 billion in sales.”

“t’s not often you see a CEO so sanguine about an ass whooping. “Something strange and remarkable has happened over the last 20 years,” Amazon’s Jeff Bezos said in his annual letter to shareholders . “Third-party sales have grown from 3% of the total to 58%. To put it bluntly: Third-party sellers are kicking our first-party butt.” Bezos has reason to be happy about the numbers, of course. They still mean more money for Amazon, whether Amazon is making the sales itself or just collecting the fees from sales by independent sellers on its marketplace.”

““After much review, we came to the decision to discontinue our pop-up kiosk program,” an Amazon spokeswoman confirmed to The Wall Street Journal. The closings are expected by the end of next month, some employees at Amazon pop-up stores said. These shops typically occupy a few hundred square feet of space and showcase devices like voice-assistant speakers, tablets and Kindle e-readers. They feature staff, dressed casually in black Amazon T-shirts, who encourage passersby to sample the newest products. Pop-ups are operated in locations ranging from malls and Kohl’s stores to Amazon’s Whole Foods stores in 21 states.”

“Operating cash flow increased 67% to $30.7 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $18.4 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2017. Free cash flow increased to $19.4 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $8.3 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2017.”

“To put that in context, Amazon’s cloud-computing business in 2018 took in a bit less than all of Mondelez International, the multinational snack and beverage conglomerate, which reported $25.9 billion in revenue for the year ended Dec. 31. It is barely less than the $25.8 billion in revenue Macy’s generated in all of 2017 (Macy’s hasn’t reported full year results yet for 2018). It’s more than the $21 billion in revenue McDonald’s booked in 2018, or the $22.7 billion taken in by Qualcomm during its 2018 fiscal year.”

“Instacart said Thursday that it would cease deliveries from 76 Whole Foods locations on Feb 10. The San Francisco-based company said around 240 employees would be laid off as a result. Most of the 1,415 Instacart employees that pick up orders from Whole Foods stores will be transferred to other divisions, founder and chief executive, Apoorva Mehta, said. Multi-retailer delivery services will continue to include Whole Foods for now but will scale back in coming months.”

“Amazon’s version of a futuristic 7-Eleven store is coming to New York City, and it’s going to be located inside a shopping and office complex across from the World Trade Center, Recode has learned. Amazon plans to unveil the cashierless convenience store inside Brookfield Place, formerly known as the World Financial Center, in Manhattan’s Battery Park City neighborhood.”

“Amazon on Tuesday rolled out new benefits for its Amazon Business Prime members, including access to a new credit card offered jointly with American Express. The AmazonBusiness American Express Card, for US customers, has no annual fee, and it offers businesses 5 percent back or 90-day interest-free payment terms on eligible purchases. The card could help Amazon reach more SMBs via Amazon Business, its B2B platform. Earlier in the year, Amazon launched a low-cost account option, enabling businesses to sign up for Amazon Business for $179 per year for up to three users.”

“A recent article from The Information detailing Amazon’s current retail profits calls into question an assertion occasionally made about Amazon’s retail operations. It is sometimes argued that Amazon (as well as other large tech firms) operates some parts of their business at a loss, particularly during growth phases. The article outlines that Amazon’s U.S. retail operations do not, in fact, operate at a loss and are growing.”