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Amazon is spending over $4 billion to boost small-town deliveries

The company already accounts for more than one-quarter of US parcel volumes.

5/1/25 7:00AM

Yesterday, Amazon announced that it’s doubling down on small-town America, revealing plans to invest more than $4 billion into its delivery service in rural locations by the end of next year, as it attempts to speed up delivery times across less populated areas.

The announcement — which came a day before the company’s earnings, expected after the bell today — was packed with big-if-true figures. For example, the expansion will apparently let Amazon ship over 1 billion extra packages a year, add 200 delivery stations, create 100,000 new jobs, and improve its service in more than 13,000 rural ZIP codes across more than 1.2 million square miles.

Boxing match

Elsewhere in the delivery business, UPS said on Tuesday that it would be cutting 20,000 positions (~4% of its workforce) in 2025 and closing 73 US locations by the end of June. While some jumped to tariffs as a potential explanation, the layoffs are more a result of UPS distancing itself from Amazon. The company is planning to halve the business it does with the online giant by mid-2026, with CEO Carol Tome explaining that fulfilling outbound shipments from Amazon centers “is not profitable for us, nor a healthy fit for our network.”

As Jeff Bezos’ retailer looks to bolster its parcel force where others are pulling back, it’ll likely carry on a yearslong trend and only pull further ahead of of its competition in the logistics industry.

According to the annual Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index, Amazon Logistics delivered a whopping 6.3 billion parcels across the US in 2024, up 7.3% from the year before and second only to the US Postal Service’s 6.9 billion figure. Amazon now looks clear as the biggest private delivery business in America, taking an impressive 28% share of the market, while UPS and FedEx have both declined in recent years.

Max Knoblauch

Amazon is testing adding GM electric vans to its EV delivery fleet dominated by Rivian

Rivian may have some competition in its electric delivery van division: Bloomberg reports that Amazon is testing a small number of GM’s BrightDrop vans for its fleet.

According to Amazon, the test currently only includes a dozen of the vehicles. Amazon’s fleet also contains EVs from Ford, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz.

GM debuted BrightDrop in 2021, but the vehicles have struggled to sell and piled up on GM lots due to high prices and steep competition. GM began offering up to 40% rebates on the vehicles this year.

The test comes as Rivian struggles through tariffs and the end of EV tax credits. Earlier this year, it lowered its annual delivery outlook by about 13%. As of June, Amazon said it has more than 25,000 Rivian vans across the US. Earlier this week, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said the company is still on track to deliver 100,000 vans to Amazon by 2030 and is “thinking about what comes beyond” that initial target.

GM has sold 1,592 BrightDrop vans through the first half of the year, more than the full-year total it sold in 2024.

Amazon Tests GM EV Delivery Vans in Bid to Meet Climate Goals

GM debuted BrightDrop in 2021, but the vehicles have struggled to sell and piled up on GM lots due to high prices and steep competition. GM began offering up to 40% rebates on the vehicles this year.

GM has sold 1,592 BrightDrop vans through the first half of the year, more than the full-year total it sold in 2024.

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Shake Shack is launching a French onion soup... burger

The fast-casual chain will be hoping premium upsells can fatten up its profit margins.

Nia Warfield

9/11/25

Paramount Skydance reportedly preparing an Ellison-backed Warner Bros. Discovery takeover bid, sending shares soaring

Paramount Skydance is preparing a majority cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, The Wall Street Journal reported, sending shares of both companies surging. The Journal’s sources say the deal is backed by the Ellison family, led by David Ellison.

WBD shares were up 30% on the report, while Paramount Skydance jumped 8%.

The offer would cover WBD’s entire business — cable networks, movie studios, the whole enchilada. That comes after WBD announced plans last year to split into two divisions: one for streaming and studios, the other for its traditional cable and TV assets. A recent Wells Fargo note gave WBD a price target hike, primarily because the analysts viewed it as a prime takeover candidate.

If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

Exclusive | Paramount Skydance Prepares Ellison-Backed Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

Max Knoblauch

9/10/25

As tariffs take root, August new vehicle prices climb by the most in more than 2 years

According to data from Cox Automotive, 17 vehicle brands raised prices of their new vehicles by more than 3% in August.

Ford Issues Recalls On Some Of Its Mach-E Mustangs And Aviators