Online giant Amazon has announced that sales have increased by 23% in the third quarter of 2015 to $25.4bn. Operating income was $406 million.

This comes in a large part due to the company’s aggressive expansion plans. Prime Now has been offered to eight more metropolitan areas in the US in the last quarter, while Amazon Pantry has been opened in Germany and Japan. It has now posted profits in nine of the last 15 quarters after many years of loss making.

Ahead of the festive rush, the online retailer is planning on hiring 140,000 seasonal staff in the US and Europe.

Its work in India has been very impressive too, with a 250% increase in sellers using the Amazon Marketplace platform, nearly 90% of whom are using the company’s logistics and warehousing services. Investing in this operation, Amazon.in has invested in its fulfilment capacity to meet demand.