Amazon is set to expand its European logistics network by about 30% this year to increase capacity and enable faster deliveries.
The e-commerce giant, with more than 30 large warehouses in Europe at present, will open at least 12 new fulfilment centres along with local delivery stations, as well as developing new final-mile delivery services for online shoppers in Europe.
Amazon last month announced it would create 15,000 more full-time jobs across Europe this year taking its workforce to 65,000, with many of the jobs in new fulfillment centres currently under construction in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK.
Last week, Slovakia was added to this list with the announcement of a 60,000 sqm reverse logistics centre at Sered, about 60km east of the capital, Bratislava, which will create over 1,000 new, permanent jobs over the next three years. At the Sered facility, planned to open in Q3 2017, employees will assess the condition of products that either couldn’t be delivered or were returned to Amazon.
“Bringing our logistics operations to Slovakia demonstrates how much confidence we have in investing here. We will find here a wealth of employees who are open to new experiences and opportunities in a company that is driven by improving customer experience and innovation. We greatly appreciate all the support we are receiving from both national and local authorities to make Slovakia a great place in which to invest,” said Roy Perticucci, Vice President of Amazon Operations in Europe.
Germany, where Amazon expects to add 2,000 more jobs this year, will see the largest number of openings this year, with new warehouses at Winsen, Frankenthal, Werne and Dortmund. In the UK, where Amazon plans to create 5,000 new full-time jobs this year, three new fulfilment centres are set to open in Tilbury, Doncaster and Daventry during 2017.
In Italy, Amazon will invest a total of €215 million on its second and third fulfilment centres in the country, which are both scheduled to open in the autumn. These are a 60,000 sqm distribution centre at Passo Corese near Rome, in which the company is investing €150 million, and a 100,000 sqm fulfilment centre at Vercelli in Piedmont to serve the north-west of the country.
In France, Amazon plans to grow from 4,000 to 5,500 employees this year. A large 107,000 sqm fulfilment centre will go into operation at Boves, close to Amiens in northern France, in September, creating 500 jobs. Developed by Goodman, this will be its fifth fulfilment centre in France and will focus mostly on distribution of large, non-conveyable goods to customers in France and other European countries.
Earlier this month the e-commerce giant opened its first two local delivery stations in France, at Sainghin-en-Mélantois (Nord) and Bonneuil-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne). Local transport partners will operate from the two sites to make last-mile deliveries to customers in and around Paris and northern France.
Separately, the online grocery delivery service Amazon Pantry has also been launched in France and Belgium, enabling Prime customers to order from a selection of several thousand popular household goods.
In Spain, Amazon, which is currently building a 60,000 sqm logistics centre at El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona), has partnered with Repsol to enable customers to pick up online orders from up to 4,000 petrol stations in Spain and Portugal, including from newly-installed Amazon Lockers. It also signed up soccer star Fernando Torres last month to promote the Amazon Prime Now delivery service by making several deliveries in person to surprised customers.
In Poland, Panattoni Europe is currently developing a fifth logistics centre for Amazon in Sosnowiec in the region of Upper Silesia. Due to open in October this year, the 135,000 sqm facility will be dedicated to the distribution of shoes and clothes in Western Europe.
The real estate company has already completed three logistics centres for Amazon, two in Poland and one in the Czech Republic, and is developing its fourth one at Kolbaskowo near Szczecin, close to the Polish-German border.
