Look through that linked article. Ebay and Amazon dominated German and British markets. Their business includes getting physical goods to customers.

European giants are largely hold-outs from a different age[1] (full article[2]). The decline didn't start with the Internet.

[1] https://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/2...

[2] http://www.economist.com/node/21559618