Amazon has continuously expanded its presence in Europe since the late 1990s and is now active in several countries with its own websites and extensive logistics networks. Amazon launched in the UK (amazon.co.uk) and Germany (amazon.de) back in 1998. This was followed by France (amazon.fr) in 2020, Italy (amazon.it) in 2010 and Spain (amazon.es) a year later. In the Netherlands, Amazon only existed as an e-book store between 2014 and 2020 and has been a fully-fledged marketplace since 2020. The Amazon marketplaces in Sweden (amazon.se) and Poland (amazon.pl) followed in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Amazon has even been available in Belgium (amazon.be) since 2022. In Belgium and the Netherlands, the special feature is that the stores are available in several languages such as French, Dutch and English and offer customers a full service in their chosen language.
In Europe, Amazon attaches great importance to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as its visibility and reach make it easier for SMEs to offer and sell their products. Amazon also supports international and local companies, which contributes to the diversity of the product range and helps SMEs to reach a larger customer base.
