Ten years ago, Amazon started selling books. Today, in the UK alone, it is receiving nearly 1m orders a day, having transformed itself into a giant online shopping mall. It is now challenging all the major high street chains for the title of Britain's biggest retailer, shipping millions of items at rock-bottom prices.
Earlier this year it opened one of Europe's largest warehouses in Swansea, 60% bigger than its existing monster-sized distribution centre in Milton Keynes. But already the firm is seeking a site for another huge warehouse as it anticipates sales growth of at least 15%. Other retailers are mired in gloom as consumer spending is hit by the credit crunch. But not Amazon - it is already tooling up for its next big move, with the launch early next year of a low-cost, music download service that could rival Apple iTunes
