Amazon To Open Stores in Germany

Amazon said on Saturday that the e-commerce company considers opening stores in Germany, its second biggest market after the United States.

The  American multinational technology company already operates stores in the US and UK, including the Amazon Go food stores, and the grocery chain "Whole Foods".

Amazon country manager, Ralf Kleber said in an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that his company knows that customers shop offline and that they like variety, refusing to provide more details or a timetable of the launch of the service.

Kleber also told the newspaper that Amazon wants to boost shopping via its Alexa voice-controlled devices, pointing out that it was selling the Echo Dot at a low prices to encourage widespread adoption.

Meantime, the company's stock price dropped -0.15% to record $1,872.22 at the end of today's trading

Last July, the e-commerce firm announced plans to open a new site, bringing the total number of staff in Germany to 20,000 in 35 warehouses.

The German Trade Union “Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft” Verdi has called on employees of the Amazon Logistics Center to strike before last Christmas to demand better conditions and salaries.

Since 2013, unions have held frequent strikes in Germany, which is the second largest market for the Amazon after the United States, in the hope of imposing recognition of the agreements that apply to other retail employees.