Amazon Italy takes on supermarkets

(ANSA) - Milan, September 3 - Online retailer Amazon is taking on a new challenge in Italy by offering online grocery shopping to its clientele, as part of a larger growth spurt that has seen 300 permanent contracts offered so far this year.
    Of those new permanent contract employees - many of whom were already with the company on previous contracts - 250 work at the Castel San Giovanni distribution center near Piacenza, and the remaining 50 in customer service in Cagliari.
    The company's overall employee count in Italy has grown from just 150 at its outset in 2011, to today's total of 1,270 so far in 2015, out of a worldwide total of 180,000 employees.
    Those figures represent a 750% increase in employees since the company established itself in Italy in 2011.
    Last year, 60% of the company's internships in Italy were transformed into permanent contracts, and Amazon is still seeking graduates specialized in finance and digital marketing for its headquarters in Milan.
    In July it launched online grocery shopping for Italian Amazon customers, presenting a direct challenge to Italian supermarkets.
    While specific figures haven't been made available by the company, one of the best-selling products so far is Barilla pasta, sold at an aggressively competitive price.