Internet giant Amazon would like to open several department stores in the United States. That writes the American business newspaper Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal cites sources within the company. Amazon, which already operates smaller brick-and-mortar stores, has so far declined to confirm the report. The first department stores would open in Ohio and California, according to the WSJ. These are shops with an area of approximately 3,000 square meters, which is relatively modest by American standards.
Amazon, the company of billionaire Jeff Bezos, would offer its own products for sale in the brick-and-mortar department stores, from clothing to electronics and furniture. But other major brands would also be present. Amazon already operates several brick-and-mortar stores in the US, such as the Amazon Books and 4-Star stores.
In addition, the internet giant also bought Whole Foods a few years ago. A few years ago, Seattle opened the first ‘Amazon Go’, a sort of grocery store without a checkout, where groceries are paid for online. In March of this year, a similar store opened in London.
But in addition, online activity continues to do better than ever. For example, Amazon reported an online sales increase of no less than 27% in the second quarter, to almost 90 billion dollars.