South West companies using Amazon to sell goods and services recorded more than £200m of export sales last year, according to a new impact report by the online retail giant.
The platform said around 4,700 small-to-medium-sized businesses in the region were now its "independent selling partners".
According to Amazon, it has invested around £1.4bn in the West Country since 2010, creating 2,400 full and part-time jobs in the region, and 90 apprenticeship roles.
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The company claims its investment in the region has led to the production of goods and services that contributed an estimated £1.5bn to the region’s GDP over the period.
The report comes just weeks after the US e-commerce giant defended its contribution to the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ economy as latest accounts on Companies House show the business paid £492m to the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ taxman last year as its sales rose 50% to £20.63bn.
The platform paid just £3.8m more corporation tax in 2020 than in 2019, despite sales rocketing amid the pandemic.
A number of tech companies, which pay tax on profits not sales, have come under fire in recent years for the amount of tax they pay in the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ.
“Amazon is passionate about creating jobs, empowering SMEs and supporting the communities where we live and work, said John Boumphrey, º£½ÇÊÓÆµ Country Manager at Amazon.
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“The region has been a fantastic home for us for many years, and we are excited by the opportunity to continue to invest, invent and have a positive impact in the local community.”
Nationally, Amazon said it had made direct investments in its º£½ÇÊÓÆµ operations of more than £32bn since 2010.
Keystone, an independent macro-economic consultancy, estimates Amazon’s investments have led to the production of goods and services that contributed £36bn to the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ’s GDP over the period.
Earlier in September, the company announced plans to create another 1,250 jobs in London, Manchester, Cambridge and Edinburgh as part of a major expansion.
The move follows the creation of 10,000 Amazon º£½ÇÊÓÆµ jobs this year. Amazon has a º£½ÇÊÓÆµ workforce totalling more than 55,000.
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