Amazon.com support operations based in Dublin and Cork had a combined staffing of 1,135 at the end of last year, a year in which they had a combined turnover of €331 million.

The companies supply services to other aspects of the Amazon business.

Administrative expenses in the operations of the largest of the two subsidiaries, Dublin-based Amazon Data Services Ireland, were €275 million in 2013, meaning despite a turnover of €290.8 million, the profit before tax after these and other costs was €13.6 million. Corporation tax was, however, €10 million, mostly because depreciation charges were in excess of capital allowances.

Web-hosting services

No breakdown or explanation as to what the administrative expenses were are given in the company’s accounts, the latest of which have just been filed. A request for an interview with Amazon met with no response.

Amazon Data Services provides web-hosting services to group companies and operates seven separate data hub facilities in the Dublin area.

Staff costs for 2013 were €31.36 million, up from €19.7 million in 2012. The accounts show the value of the company’s “technology infrastructure” at the end of the year was €591.7 million. The depreciation charge for the year was €128 million. The company’s computer equipment was valued at €735,853.

New premises
Land and buildings were €102 million at year's end, having increased by €44.7 million during the year. The company is currently moving staff to a new premises at the Burlington Plaza, Dublin 4.

Cork-based Amazon CS Ireland Ltd had 707 employees at the end of 2013, according to its latest set of accounts. It runs a customer services centre for the Amazon group and had a turnover of €41 million in 2013, up from €32.9 million the previous year. It had administrative expenses of €42.8 million and recorded a loss of €1.2 million.

Staff costs during the year were €26.4 million, up from €21.9 million the previous year, when its staff numbers averaged 583.