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The e-commerce giant has long focused on speeding delivery of online purchases, eliminating the lag time that provides traditional stores an edge, while trying to reduce the costs of shipping, which hit $21.7 billion (£15.7bn) in 2017. The focus has led the firm to invest billions in its logistics network, building warehouses, deploying aircraft and hiring delivery trucks. Amazon also purchased upmarket grocer Whole Foods last year. This week, the firm said it would start making two-hour grocery deliveries from the stores for Prime customers in some cities. As Amazon's network expands, it has led to increased questions about how well longstanding shipping companies such as FedEx and UPS - which count Amazon as a customer - will compete. FedEx and UPS shares fell by more than 2 percent on Friday morning as the market volatility continued.