Amazon confirms Australian launch

Jeff Bezos, chief executive officer of Amazon, arrives for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower. Photo / Getty

After years of speculation, Amazon has released a statement officially confirming the company will be launching retail services within Australia.

The online retailer has confirmed it is actively searching for a large distribution and fulfilment centre in Australia, the first step to launching services here.

"Amazon Web Services launched an Australian region in 2012, we launched a Kindle Store on Amazon.com.au in 2013, and we now have almost 1000 employees in the country," the company said in a statement.

"The next step is to bring a retail offering to Australia, and we are making those plans now."

We are excited to bring thousands of new jobs to Australia, millions of dollars in additional investment, and to empower small Australian businesses through Amazon Marketplace.

"We are optimistic that by focusing on the things we believe customers value most - low prices, vast selection, and fast delivery - over time we'll earn the business of Australian customers."

The distribution centre is tipped to be in Melbourne or Sydney.

The company also plans to launch Amazon Marketplace, a sales and logistics system for third-party retailers.

"Sales through Amazon Marketplaces now represent 50 per cet of all items sold on Amazon websites globally."

"There are already thousands of Australian businesses selling their products on existing Amazon Marketplaces. We are excited to bring the Amazon Marketplace to Australia next," a banner on its Australian website reads.