AMZN Amazon.com Inc

By Justina Vasquez and Imani Moise 

Amazon.com Inc.'s $13.7 billion deal to buy Whole Foods Market is the largest acquisition in the company's history. The Seattle company launched as an online-only book store, but has since delved into selling groceries, producing television shows, and developing consumer electronics.

Here are some of the company's largest acquisitions, according to data from Thomson Reuters, to date that have helped shape its identity as a online behemoth:

Twitch Interactive Inc.: The August 2014 purchase of Twitch for $970 million brought Amazon deeper into video streaming as it gained an online platform popular for broadcasts of video gameplay.

Zappos.com Inc.: The July 2009 purchase of Zappos for $930.1 million helped Amazon expand its share in the market for shoes, clothing and accessories.

Kiva Systems Inc.: The March 2012 purchase of Kiva Systems for $775 million helped Amazon bring more automation to its warehouses and improve efficiency in order fulfillment.

Quidsi Inc.: The November 2010 purchase of Quidsi--the owner of Diapers.com and Soap.com--for $545 million pushed Amazon deeper into selling consumer goods such as paper towels and toilet paper.

Elemental Technologies Inc.: The October 2015 purchase of Elemental Technologies for $296 delivered Amazon a company that could help improve its cloud video-streaming platform.

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc.: The May 2016 deal to take up to a 30% stake in Atlas Air for $397.6 million helped Amazon expand its fleet of delivery jets in an effort to reduce its reliance on third-party carriers to speed delivery times.

Alexa Internet Inc.: The April 1999 purchase of Alexa Internet for $257 million delivered a company whose web navigation service would allow Amazon.com to track which sites its users visit and improve purchase recommendations based on that information.

Exchange.com Inc.: After concluding talks with Barnes and Noble Inc., Amazon bought Exchange for $252.6 million in April 1999 to expand its collections of rare and out-of-date books and music.

Audible Inc.: The January 2008 purchase of audiobook seller Audible for $280 million helped Amazon add to its digital media offerings.

*Amazon's largest acquisition prior to Whole Foods was the $1.16 billion purchase of a large chunk of its Seattle headquarters in 2012 from Paul Allen's Vulcan Inc.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 16, 2017 17:38 ET (21:38 GMT)

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