Independent UK retailers claim £1bn damages against Amazon

About 35,000 sellers argue that online giant misuses their data to launch rival products that are sold more cheaply

Independent UK retailers have launched the biggest ever retail class action with a £1bn claim for damages against Amazon, which they allege has been pushing them out of its online marketplace.

The claim, brought by about 35,000 sellers and headed by the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira), asserts that between October 2015 and the present day, Amazon used non-public data belonging to the retailers to inform the launch of its own rival products.