Amazon announced it will increase fees for Spanish companies using its platform after a new "Google" tax went into effect in the country on Jan. 21. The move comes as several major governments look to tax large internet companies and curb their growing influence.

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• Amazon has repeatedly supported a "global approach" as opposed to individual governments imposing taxes.
• The U.K., France, and Italy have already implemented digital taxes. Other tech giants such as Apple and Google have raised fees to pass along the costs.

In the U.S.:

• CNBC reports Amazon could face pressure from the Biden administration over issues such as antitrust, labor practices, and union rights for its warehouse workers.
• Amazon has long opposed unions, however, warehouse workers in Alabama will hold an election on Feb. 8. This is the first Amazon union election in the U.S. since 2014.
• Amazon spent nearly $18M on federal lobbying in 2020, a 19% increase YoY.

Uber laid off 185 Postmates employees on Thursday, equalling 15% of the company's total workforce. Postmates founder and CEO Bastian Lehmann was among those let go by Uber. Executives who were terminated will receive multi-million dollar severance packages.

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• Uber acquired Postmates for $2.65B last year. Uber's food delivery business has thrived during the pandemic, growing by 135% in Q3.
• Uber Eats and Postmates currently operate as separate ventures, but the ride-sharing company plans to integrate the two food delivery services.
• Uber and Postmates account for 35% of the U.S. food delivery market. DoorDash is the market leader with a 48% share.
• Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has narrowed the company's focus around its ride-sharing and food delivery businesses as it aims to be profitable by the end of the year.

Online food marketplace Imperfect Foods has raised $95M in its Series D funding round at a $700M valuation. The grocery delivery subscription service focuses on produce with a short shelf life or flawed physical appearance.

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• Imperfect Foods has raised $214.1M since its inception in 2014.
• Imperfect Foods has 350,000 subscribers and ended 2020 with a revenue run rate of $500M. CEO Philip Behn said the company has seen nine straight months of triple-digit revenue growth.
• By 2023, the U.S.'s online grocery delivery market will grow to $129.7B and make up 10% of all grocery sales.

American Eagle will close 200-250 stores within the next few years. The retailer expects online sales will grow by double digits in Q4 after it rose by 29% in Q3.

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• American Eagle plans to open 50 stores of its Aerie brand this year to drive growth, taking the total to 400. It's targeting 500-600 Aerie locations by 2023.
• Aerie's sales grew by 34% in Q3, with online sales rising by 83%.
• American Eagle's shares are up 63% in the past twelve months.

QUICK HITS:

• See how consumer electronics brand Nomad went headless with their existing Shopify store to increase their ecommerce conversion rate by 25%.*
• Target will spend $200M on employees bonuses and prolonging COVID-19 benefits. Target spent an additional $1B on employee benefits in 2020.
• Online sales in the U.K. grew by 46.1% in 2020, the largest annual growth since 2008.
• Paypal shut down a fundraising account for Jenna Ryan, a real estate agent facing federal charges over her role in the Jan. 6. Capitol Hill riots.
• What are the costs of inefficiencies in your product release cycle? Read how top companies save over $1M each year.*

*This is sponsored content.