Amazon unveils date of second Prime Day shopping event

Amazon has announced the date of its second annual global shopping day - but only for consumers who have signed up to its subscription service.

Prime Day will take place on July 12, with the retail behemoth offering thousands of deals in the UK alone to those who are a member of its £79-a-year service.

Members will be able to start shopping for deals from midnight on Prime Day with new deals starting as often as every five minutes, Amazon has promised.

It is the latest event in Amazon's bid to turn its customers into paid-up members of the service.

Prime, which started as a one-day delivery benefit in 2007, now has millions of members in the UK, Amazon said.

Earlier this month it launched a fresh food delivery service, called AmazonFresh, in selected postcodes in London for Prime members.

Amazon UK managing director Doug Gurr said: "The response to Prime Day in 2015 surpassed all our expectations here in the UK, so we're delighted to be bringing this major summer deals day back for our UK Prime members in 2016 with even more great deals available."