The Competition and Markets Authority has been analysing Amazon’s business for months and focuses on how the online retailer uses the data it collects on its platform.

The regulator has also scrutinised how Amazon decides which merchants appear in the crucial ‘buy box’ - the white panel to the right-hand side of a product where buyers click to add the item to their cart, the report added.

A probe into the company may focus on whether Amazon favours merchants that also use its logistics and delivery services when deciding who has access to the buy box and to its Prime customers, the newspaper said, citing the sources. The timing and scope of the probe were still being worked on, it said.

According to the report, the investigation was likely to cover similar ground to probes underway in the European Union.

Brussels has two open probes into Amazon - one that is looking at how the company is using data to advance its products to the potential detriment of rivals. Another is looking at the criteria for the use of the buy box.