Amazon may be a golden child among investors with shares rising 51% over the past year, but the chairman of Australian retailer Harvey Norman says the giant has an ugly side.
Gerry Harvey called the online giant the “worst possible corporate citizen” in a CNBC interview Monday, as Amazon prepares for a launch in Australia. Amazon (AMZN) has reportedly been building fulfillment centers in the land down under.
Harvey’s complaints are not that different from those of other Amazon competitors who have struggled with the e-commerce giant’s expansion.
“Amazon is a marauder. It’s crossed America. It’s sent lots of businesses broke,” he told CNBC. “Amazon is the worst possible corporate citizen to have in our midst. There’s not a retailer in the world, practically, that likes Amazon.”
In recent years, Amazon has been tough competition for retailers such as J.C. Penney, Nordstrom, and Walmart, and has been expanding into new fields such as artificial intelligence and car sales.