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Amazon posted its third quarter of profits in a row in the fourth quarter ending 31st December, as the company's annual sales passed the $100bn mark for the first time.
Net income for the fourth quarter stood at $482m ($214m in fourth quarter 2014), on a sales rise of 22% to $35.7bn ($29.3bn in fourth quarter 2014).
Net income for 2015 as a whole stood at $596m, compared with a net loss of $241m in 2014. Sales for 2015 rose 20% to $107.0bn ($89bn in 2014). Excluding $5.2bn impact from foreign exchange rates changes, net sales increased 26% compared with 2014.
However shares took a hit as the profit rise (to $1 a share) fell short of Wall Street predictions.
Founder and c.e.o. Jeff Bezos said: "Twenty years ago, I was driving the packages to the post office myself and hoping we might one day afford a forklift. This year, we pass $100bn in annual sales and serve 300 million customers. And still, measured by the dynamism we see everywhere in the marketplace and by the ever-expanding opportunities we see to invent on behalf of customers, it feels every bit like Day One."
Among many highlights listed for the year was a 51% increase in Prime membership numbers, and the launch of Prime Same Day delivery in the UK and Germany.
Amazon said it expected to see sales grow between 17%-28% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2016.