Amazon's B2B platform hits $10bn revenue, with half of sales coming from third-party sellers

Sales platform is now operating in eight countries, including the UK

Amazon Business has revealed that it has reached $10bn (£7.7bn) in global annual sales, with its third-party sellers contributing more than 50 per cent to that figure.

Amazon Business aims to supply an organisation with anything it requires, ranging from IT hardware and software to paperclips.

The internet giant's B2B platform launched in the UK in April last year and last month it made its first major public procurement deal worth £600m with Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation.

The five-year contract effectively makes Amazon Business a one-stop shop for the county's schools, emergency services and social care providers.

In a blog post, Amazon claimed that the platform now serves millions of businesses worldwide, ranging from sole proprietors to large enterprises.

The introduction of the business operation to the UK caused unease in the channel, however, it is possible for resellers to conduct business on the platform and Amazon claims that it helps customers "find and purchase from new suppliers they might not have discovered".

Launched in the US in 2015, Amazon said the platform now serves 55 of the Fortune 100 companies, along with 50 of the biggest hospitals and nearly 80 per cent of the largest education organisations.

The business launched in Spain and Italy this year and also operates in Germany, France, India and Japan.

Analysts have previously claimed that the platform poses a bigger risk to distributors than it does to resellers.