Amazon completes Souq.com acquisition

Amazon has completed the purchase of the Middle Eastern online marketplace Souq.com. The integration process between the two online platforms has already begun, so customers can already log into Souq.com using their Amazon account.

As previously reported, Amazon reached an agreement to buy Souq.com at the end of March.

Meanwhile, the IT media have been intrigued – and amused – by another logistics-focused patent from Amazon. Last week, we were treated to Amazon’s vision of a multi-level delivery drone hive. Now, it appears Amazon has been granted a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for “aquatic storage facilities”.

The idea is simple, if a little unusual. Building storage facilities is expensive and time-consuming and you also need a lot of space and planning permissions. But what if you could deposit your inventory in a reservoir? The goods would, of course, be stored in water-proof containers and – here is the clever bit of the patent – they would be fitted with an inflatable bladder so they can be brought to the surface and retrieved when necessary.

Amazon filed the patent in September last year and USPTO published it in April.