AMAZON.COM Inc is adding staff for a new division dedicated to restaurants in Seattle and New York, with indications the unit is trying to rapidly expand a meal delivery service, according to posts on LinkedIn and the company’s jobs site.
Amazon, which declined to comment on Friday, is best known as a place to buy millions of products including books and electronics. It has increasingly moved into services, offering customers the ability to book everything from plumbers to local getaways.
The online retailer has dabbled in food delivery before but its move to form a dedicated division called Amazon Restaurants could mean it is preparing to enter the increasingly crowded meal delivery market and compete against well-established players such as GrubHub Inc.
The exact purpose of the division is unclear but the job description of at least one worker in the unit suggests Amazon is interested in expanding restaurant delivery services beyond Seattle, where recent media reports say the company is already testing its own meal delivery program.
There are about 15 job openings for a division called “Amazon Restaurants,” based in Seattle and New York, according to a Reuters search on LinkedIn and Amazon’s own jobs site.
© 2015 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions
