Mighty Amazon looks all but unassailable as Covid continues

Jeff Bezos's company is set for sales topping $100bn last quarter, and while rivals are nibbling, its position looks secure

The earliest references to the one-stop shop" emerged during the first decades of 20th century as the fast-growing US economy spurred rapid retail innovation. A single location for various products provides obvious benefits: removing the hassle of travelling around town to visit different stores.

Jeff Bezos redefined that logic for the internet age, making Amazon a dominant (and perhaps ambivalent) force first in selling books, and then in pretty much everything else. Before 2020 Amazon was a phenomenon, but the coronavirus pandemic has made it all but ubiquitous.