(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.
Amazon Italy takes on supermarkets
Online retail giant also signs 300 new permanent hires