A lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states alleging Amazon is a monopolist that uses unfair anti-competitive strategies doesn’t directly involve Georgia as a party to the suit.
The 17 state attorneys general that along with the FTC that are seeking to reduce Amazon’s alleged “monopolistic control” are in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
Georgia isn’t on that list. But Amazon has a major presence in the Peach State, with dozens of facilities, tens of thousands of workers and thousands of sellers that use its online platform.
There are more than 16,000 independent sellers in Georgia, and most of them are small and medium-sized businesses, according to Amazon.
The FTC alleged that Amazon “prevents current competitors from growing and new competitors from emerging.”
“By stifling competition on price, product selection, quality, and by preventing its current or future rivals from attracting a critical mass of shoppers and sellers, Amazon ensures that no current or future rival can threaten its dominance,” the FTC said in a news release.
Amazon responded with a statement saying the FTC’s lawsuit would lead to higher prices and slower deliveries. It said it would contest the lawsuit.
“We’re proud of the ways we’ve helped to spur low prices, innovation, and competition across retail, and we intend to keep doing that for years to come,” Amazon said in a statement on its website. “We fundamentally disagree with the FTC’s allegations — which are in many cases wrong or misleading — and with their overreaching and misguided approach to antitrust, which would harm consumers, hurt independent businesses, and upend long-standing and well-considered doctrines.”
Amazon says it has created 30,000 full-time and part-time jobs in Georgia.
Its locations in Georgia include:
- 19 fulfillment and sortation centers
- 10 delivery stations
- 3 Prime Now fulfillment centers
- 5 solar farms
- A grocery hub
- An Amazon Hub Locker+ location
- 12 Whole Foods stores
- Multiple Amazon Original movies and series have been filmed in Georgia including The Underground Railroad and I Want You Back
Source: Amazon
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