Amazon Quietly Acquires E-commerce Rival Selz

FILE PHOTO: Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, US, January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, US, January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
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Amazon Quietly Acquires E-commerce Rival Selz

FILE PHOTO: Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, US, January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, US, January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

Amazon has quietly purchased the Australian-based e-commerce platform Selz, which enables businesses to build their own online stores.

The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, was made last month and confirmed by Selz in a blog post. US media reported the acquisition on Tuesday.

Selz's operations could help Amazon to fend off challenges from the fast-growing Canadian-based firm Shopify, which offers a similar service to retailers.

Martin Rushe, founder and chief executive of Selz, said in the blog that the company had "signed an agreement to be acquired by Amazon and are looking forward to working with them as we continue to build easy-to-use tools for entrepreneurs."

Contacted by AFP, Amazon confirmed the acquisition but declined to comment on any future plans for the platform.

The deal comes with Amazon under heightened scrutiny from antitrust enforcers around the world for its growing role in online shopping.

The company has argued that it does not play a dominant role in overall retail sales despite its large share of online sales in the US and other markets.



Google to Discount Cloud Computing Services for US Government, FT Reports

FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo is pictured on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair in Las Vegas. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo is pictured on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair in Las Vegas. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
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Google to Discount Cloud Computing Services for US Government, FT Reports

FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo is pictured on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair in Las Vegas. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo is pictured on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair in Las Vegas. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa

Google will heavily discount cloud computing services for the United States government, in a deal that could be finalized within weeks, the Financial Times reported on Friday, amid President Donald Trump's efforts to implement sweeping measures to minimize federal spending.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Oracle will offer federal agencies a 75% discount on its license-based software and a "substantial" discount on its cloud service through the end of November.

Google's cloud contract is likely "to land in a similar spot", the Financial Times said, citing a senior official at the General Services Administration, adding that equivalent discounts from Microsoft's Azure and Amazon Web Services are expected to follow soon.

"Every single of those companies is totally bought in, they understand the mission," the senior official told the newspaper. "We will get there with all four players."

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Google and the General Services Administration did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment outside regular business hours.

In April, Google agreed to offer a 71% discount till September 30 to US federal agencies for its business apps package that could generate up to $2 billion in cost savings if there is government-wide adoption.