• Operating profits hit $1.3bn in three months to June 30, up from $464m 
  • Sales leap 31% to $30.4bn
  • Premium service Prime Now available to 30% of UK population

Amazon has posted a 31% jump in second-quarter sales and a healthy rise in profits as the etail giant stepped up its roll-out of new initiatives globally.

Group sales in the three months to the end of June hit $30.4bn, the etail giant reported. This included a 58% surge in sales of Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud service division, to $2.89bn.

Global operating profits in the period jumped to $1.3bn from $464m the prior year.

Founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos pointed to a “busy few months for Amazon around the world”, including the launch of its Prime service in India.

In its international business, outside the US, operating losses narrowed to $135m as sales rose 30% to $9.8bn.

In the UK, Amazon launched its ‘Fresh’ grocery service last month, which is now available in 128 London postcodes. Its Prime Now service is available to 30% of the UK population, having expanded since its launch in June last year.

Amazon also plans to create more than 3,500 permanent full-time jobs this year in the UK, bringing its total workforce to 15,500, it revealed.

The etailer has also this week received government pemission to test drone delivery service.

Topics