Amazon Takes On Remote Outpost in the Land of Bricks and Mortar
- U.S. online giant plans to start Australian retail operations
- “When they arrive, the distance is going to be a problem”
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Amazon.com Inc., which has lost billions overseas trying to replicate its U.S. success, is now attempting to crack one of the biggest and most sparsely populated nations where bricks-and-mortar retailers are king.
The Seattle-based company, which sells everything from groceries and big-screen TVs to high-end fashion, says it’s “actively looking” for a warehouse as it prepares to start operations in Australia. Anticipating a price war, analysts have almost halved profit forecasts for local electronics chains such as Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd. and JB Hi-Fi Ltd.