E-retailing colossus Amazon.com Inc. says it will create 2,000 permanent jobs in the U.K. with the opening of three new fulfillment centers across the country over the next two years. The company will also employ up to 3,000 temporary workers during the Christmas peak period.
Amazon made the announcement on Friday, August 7, the same day as it opened its eighth U.K. fulfillment center, in Hemel Hempstead, which itself creates 600 new permanent jobs.
“We have created thousands of jobs in the U.K. over the last few years and are delighted to announce that we plan to create thousands more in the next 24 months,” says Christopher North, managing director of Amazon.co.uk. “Our recruitment team has been exceptionally busy recently hiring hundreds of employees at the Hemel Hempstead fulfillment center and they will certainly be busy over the next couple of years as we continue to expand to provide customers with the best possible experience.”
Employment opportunities at the new fulfillment centers include roles in human resources, information technology, facilities management and a number of operational management areas, Amazon says.
Amazon’s expansion is a welcome break from the general doom and gloom about the British economy, with the government increasingly eager to show that it supports business in the U.K. “This is great news, not only for those individuals who will find work, but for the U.K. economy,” says British Prime Minister David Cameron. “This shows that the U.K. has the infrastructure and talent to continue to attract major investments from leading companies such as Amazon.”
The three new fulfillment centers will be in addition to the 450,000 square-foot facility in Hemel Hempstead, and will join the seven other fulfillment centers Amazon already has in the U.K.
The locations of the other fulfillment centers are: Marston Gate, Doncaster, Peterborough and Rugeley in England, Dunfermline and Gourock in Scotland, and Swansea Bay in Wales.
Meanwhile, Amazon has also recently signed up almost 5,000 convenience stores across the country to be part of its CollectPlus network, which delivers packages to Amazon customers’ nearest local shop where they can pick them up.
The creation of this CollectPlus network itself comes as the company establishes an increasing number of Amazon Lockers across the country, largely in partnership with the Co-operative chain of stores. Amazon Lockers store goods for consumers throughout the U.K. Consumers can retrieve their goods by punching in a special code.
“Our aim is to provide customers with a wide range of convenient delivery options for the millions of products available on Amazon.co.uk. Having already introduced Amazon Lockers—our self-service pick up stations—in a variety of locations across the U.K., we are able to offer even greater convenience as customers will be able to have purchases delivered to one of thousands of CollectPlus stores nationwide,” Amazon says in a statement.
Amazon is No. 1 in the Europe Top 400 Guide.
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