AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Amazon (AMZN) plans to invest 1.4 billion euros ($1.63 billion) in the Netherlands over the next three years, the company said on Monday.
The investment is the largest in the euro zone’s fifth-largest economy since it launched activities there in 2020, the company said.
Amazon has around 1,000 employees in the Netherlands, where its online sales lag behind those of market leader Bol.com, a subsidiary of retail company Ahold Delhaize.
“The Netherlands is an important growth market for us,” said Amazon’s director for Belgium and the Netherlands, Eva Faict.
“These investments will allow us to better serve our customers and improve our services.”
In an interview with Dutch financial daily FD published on Monday, Faict said the investments were partly aimed at developing artificial intelligence for entrepreneurs who sell their products on Amazon’s platform.
Earlier this month, it announced a $1.16 billion investment in Amazon’s Belgian operations.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Joe Bavier)