Amazon today revealed that SME exports from the Amazon Marketplace achieved record overseas sales of £2.3 billion last year, whilst more than 85,000 people are employed in the UK to run the sales activities of businesses selling on Amazon Marketplace.
To encourage more sellers to succeed on the marketplace, Amazon have opened registrations for their first Amazon Academy of 2018, taking place on Tuesday 17th April at the SEC Centre, Glasgow. The Amazon Academy programme is a series of free events across the UK which provide hands-on, practical advice to help SMEs succeed in the digital economy, in particular by growing their export sales.
This year there will be Amazon Academies in Glasgow, Newcastle and Cardiff, following previous events in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham which were attended by more than 1,200 SMEs and entrepreneurs. The Amazon Academy forms parts of the company’s ongoing efforts to help SMEs from across the UK grow their businesses, in particular by boosting their ecommerce and export sales.
“The growth in SME exports on sites such as Amazon shows what can be achieved, and I welcome the company’s commitments to help more small companies go digital so they can grow their businesses and create jobs up and down the country.”
– The Rt Hon Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State International Trade
Amazon’s suite of support tools to help businesses export their products and services have helped six in ten UK-based businesses selling on Amazon Marketplace now export abroad, with half of all sales on Amazon’s global sites coming from smaller, independent businesses.
“We are seeing a record number of British SMEs selling their products across Europe, North America, Japan, China and India, opening themselves to millions of additional potential customers through the power of the internet. Through programmes like the Amazon Academy, we want to help small businesses grow their revenue, increase their productivity and boost exports, to help build a stronger economy and create more jobs in the UK.”
– Doug Gurr, UK Country Manager, Amazon
Amazon retailers employ more than 85,000 people in the UK
Amazon also today announced new research by economics consultancy Keystone Strategy which found that independent British businesses employ more than 85,000 people in the UK to run their sales activities on Amazon Marketplace, including:
- Over 25,000 jobs in London and the South East
- Over 10,000 jobs in the North West of England
- Over 5,000 jobs in the East of England
- Over 5,000 jobs in Yorkshire and the Humber
- Over 5,000 jobs in the West Midlands
- Over 3,000 jobs in Wales
- Over 3,000 jobs in Scotland
- Over 2,000 jobs in the North East of England
- Over 1,000 jobs in Northern Ireland
