Anti-Amazon campaigners in France say "non" to firm's expansion

Gilles Renevier leads a group of local volunteers trying to battle Amazon's expansion plans in France.

The group's succeeded in a legal challenge to suspend construction at a site they say is earmarked to become a logistics hub for the world's largest online retailer.

In France, disparate anti-Amazon forces, including local activists and environmentalists, are trying to stop the e-commerce giant expanding, arguing it destroys retail jobs, exploits workers and harms the environment - all claims Amazon rejects.

"How are we going to reduce the pollution when you have a big operation like this, with so many vehicles that are going to be circling around it?" Renevier says.

Amazon declined to comment on whether the firm was connected to the Lyon site.

But said the company was good for the environment because its distribution model was more efficient than traditional retail, so it involved fewer miles travelled and less pollution.

Adding that the company's business model complements, rather than destroys, bricks and mortar retail and works closely with small French firms who use Amazon's logistics network.

Amazon's opponents in France scored a victory in April when a French court ruled the firm wasn't adequately protecting its employees from COVID-19.

Amazon disputed the findings, saying its operations are safe, and responded by closing its French warehouses and distribution centres for 35 days.

For Amazon, France offers the potential for growth. The company has an estimated 19 percent share of the French business-to-consumer e-commerce market, significantly lower than its 42 per cent share in Germany.