• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health

2

A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'

3

Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won

1

'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health

2

A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'

3

Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won
TechAmazon
Europe

Amazon is reportedly scaling back its private-label business—and weak sales may not be the only problem

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 15, 2022, 8:25 AM ET
Andy Jassy, chief executive officer of Amazon.Com Inc., during the GeekWire Summit in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy at the GeekWire Summit in Seattle, Oct. 5, 2021.David Ryder—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Amazon’s private-label business is reportedly not doing so well.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the company is slashing the range of items it sells under its own brands, such as Solimo and Amazon Basics. There are 243,000 items being sold under 45 house brands, but they apparently account for less than 1% of Amazon’s retail sales—a far cry from the 10% that former CEO Jeff Bezos set as a 2022 target a few years back.

With that level of disappointing performance, Amazon’s private-label business may be more trouble than it’s worth—and the Journal reports Amazon’s executives have even considered axing it entirely.

The company denies it has any intention of following through on that, but here’s why such a move might make sense.

Amazon is, of course, not the only merchant operating on its own marketplace—and the way it competes with third-party Amazon sellers has become a regulatory flash point.

Copy and undercut

Rival merchants have been complaining for many years that Amazon copies their products and then undercuts them on its platform.

A few years ago, the European Commission began investigating whether Amazon was using those third-party sellers’ data—into which it has great visibility as the marketplace’s proprietor—to gain an unfair advantage over them.

That probe led to formal charges at the end of 2020, when the Commission’s antitrust directorate accused Amazon of aggregating nonpublic seller data to “calibrate Amazon’s retail offers and strategic business decisions to the detriment of the other marketplace sellers.”

Those groundbreaking charges—it’s still novel for antitrust regulators to tackle data abuses—present a serious threat to Amazon, as the resulting fine could in theory run to 10% of global revenues, which were around $470 billion last year.

On Thursday, the European Commission revealed the commitments Amazon has offered to settle the case—plus a separate but related investigation into how Amazon allegedly uses its Buy Box (the white box on the right side of a product page) and Prime program to favor its own business and sellers that agree to use Amazon’s logistics and delivery services.

Under the commitments, Amazon would promise not to use independent sellers’ data—about things like revenues, shipments, consumer visits, and seller performance—to compete against them with its own offerings. That would apply to both individual and aggregated data.

If Amazon’s private-label business really has been benefiting so much from the anticompetitive tactics, then ending them might leave it in even worse shape.

Also included among the commitments would be a promise to give all sellers equal treatment when ranking their offers to figure out who gets featured in the Buy Box. Amazon would let Prime sellers choose to use logistics and delivery services that aren’t Amazon’s as well—and would promise not to use those services’ data to compete against them.

The commitments, which would be enforced for five years, are open for consultation until Sept. 9.

But even if Amazon’s promises do settle the matter in Europe, that may not be the end of it. Over in the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission is probing the same matter. The Federal Trade Commission is also investigating Amazon’s allegedly anticompetitive practices, but not these ones specifically.

According to the Journal, Amazon’s executives have considered potentially offering a full-scale withdrawal from the private-label business as a way of warding off SEC or FTC litigation, if needed.

However, the company told the publication that it has “never seriously considered closing our private label business” and continues to invest in it.

Amazon had not responded to Fortune’s request for comment at the time of publication.

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

d
EnvironmentConsumer electronics
Almost 4 in 10 Americans have a ‘junk drawer’ full of their old electronics. It’s because of a very specific anxiety
By Eric Williams, Payam Saeedi, Stacey Watson and The ConversationJune 21, 2026
8 hours ago
b
InnovationInfrastructure
Over 40,000 American bridges have structurally deficient ratings. Why aren’t we using quantum sensors on them?
By Alex Krasnok and The ConversationJune 21, 2026
8 hours ago
zak
CybersecuritySocial Media
The U.K. just banned social media for kids under 16. The founder of ‘safe TikTok’ says the U.S. is next
By Nick LichtenbergJune 21, 2026
9 hours ago
Sam Altman thinks AI will surpass human intelligence by 2030.  His rival AI billionaires say it’ll be even sooner
AISam Altman
Sam Altman thinks AI will surpass human intelligence by 2030. His rival AI billionaires say it’ll be even sooner
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 21, 2026
12 hours ago
ace
AIEconomics
Nobel Laureate Daron Acemoglu on the ‘brainless’ AI discourse, the myth of capitalism and the Gen Z revolution risk
By Nick LichtenbergJune 21, 2026
14 hours ago
Patricia Camden is EY Studio+ Customer Experience and Loyalty Leader
CommentaryConsulting
EY: we found your biggest AI blind spot. It’s called the ‘tempo gap’
By Patricia Camden and John DuboisJune 20, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
Health
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
By Ali Swenson, Amelia Thomson-Deveaux and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
1 day ago
A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'
Economy
A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'
By Jason MaJune 20, 2026
1 day ago
Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won
Success
Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won
By Emma BurleighJune 21, 2026
12 hours ago
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
12 hours ago
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeJune 19, 2026
2 days ago
The Great Recession’s missing children are finally bringing college’s financial crisis into sight. Welcome to the ‘enrollment volatility’ era
Economy
The Great Recession’s missing children are finally bringing college’s financial crisis into sight. Welcome to the ‘enrollment volatility’ era
By Tristan BoveJune 20, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.