Date Published: 20/11/2020
ARCHIVED - Mayoress of Barcelona urges residents NOT to buy online from Amazon
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
The Mayoress specifically targeted Amazon in her call to support local retailers
Amazon responded by reminding the Mayoress how many Catalan companies sell products via their platform and how many direct jobs it creates in the region through its logistics centres.
The mayoress of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has encouraged residents not to buy "on Amazon, or on large platforms that not only do not pay taxes, but do not add any added value to the city", and to do so, on the contrary, in neighborhood businesses to support local commerce. Colau has thus added her voice to the recommendation made a few days ago by the mayoress of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who also asked her fellow citizens not to buy on Amazon during this important pre- Christmas shopping period.
Retailers in local towns, cities and villages have been devastated by coronavirus and many are struggling to make ends meet after months of lockdowns, disruption to sales and restrictions.
Spanish consumers are expected to make significantly more Black Friday purchases this year than in previous years due to the coronavirus restrictions and the insecurity caused by COVID-19 in making Christmas purchases in physical stores, according to a Google study, with 40% saying they intend to buy online in the forthcoming black Friday shopping event. Click to read this full report.
Amazon has responded in a statement that "it works with more than 2,000 small businesses and merchants in Catalonia, which leads the ranking of communities with more small companies that sell" in their stores.
In its statement, Amazon, in addition to stating that it "works with more than 2,000" Catalan SMEs, has pointed out that the small companies in Catalonia that sell on the platform, "are the second that export the most from Spain and registered international sales of more than 100 million euros in 2019 in Amazon stores ".
The company also has a Software Development Center in Barcelona "that employs engineers, software developers, data scientists and experts in machine learning and cloud storage, as well as a support center for SMEs in Southern Europe" , it says.
In Catalonia, the delivery platform has 3 logistics centers in El Prat, Martorelles and Castellbisbal; an urban logistics center in Barcelona that offers fast deliveries through Prime Now, a distribution center in Barberá del Vallés and 3 logistics stations located in Barcelona, Martorelles and Rubí.