New Centre in Dunfermline will be Amazon’s biggest in UK

 

 

Slough – 13th January 2011: Amazon today announced that over 750 new jobs will be created with the building of a 1m sq ft fulfilment centre in Dunfermline, Scotland. A further 1,500 temporary jobs are also expected to be created during peak periods.

The new centre will be Amazon’s biggest in the UK – approximately the size of 14 football pitches – and is to be built on development land alongside the M90 near to the junction with the A92. It will distribute a wide range of items to Amazon customers all over the UK, Europe and the World and will also provide extra capacity for an ever-increasing selection of products.

All permanent employees at Amazon’s 200,000 sq ft fulfilment centre in Glenrothes will continue to be employed at the new site. The building at Glenrothes, which Amazon currently leases, was purchased in 2010 by Fife Council who plans to use it as a depot hub. The fulfilment centre at Gourock will be unaffected by the new centre and will continue to operate as usual.

"Amazon is delighted that its biggest UK fulfilment centre is to be built in Dunfermline," said Allan Lyall, Vice President of European Operations at Amazon. "It is a great location and it has been Amazon’s priority to secure a new site as close to the current Glenrothes FC as possible in order to preserve and transfer the entire skilled workforce with all its experience and Amazon knowledge."

"Our focus on low prices, vast selection and high levels of customer convenience has seen continued growth for the UK business and this centre will provide us with the capacity and flexibility that we require into the future," continued Allan Lyall. "We look forward to the site opening towards the end of this year and would like to thank Scottish Enterprise for its commitment and cooperation throughout this project."

First Minister Alex Salmond said:

"Amazon has established itself as one of the world’s leading online retailers and I am delighted with its decision to expand its Scottish operations and to create 950 jobs.

"The Scottish Government, Scottish Development International and Scottish Enterprise is doing all it can to attract new jobs and investment to Scotland. Amazon’s plan to create a purpose built Fulfilment Centre in Dunfermline will create over 750 jobs and deliver a very significant boost to the local economy. I also welcome Amazon’s plans to build on their success in Gourock and to create 200 new posts.

"The company’s announcement of new investment in Scotland is a strong reflection on the success of its current operations and the skills of the local workforce. These new jobs are a welcome boost to the economy and a demonstration of Amazon’s commitment to doing business in Scotland."

Work on the new centre, being funded by HSBC Specialist Investments (through its European Real Estate Fund HEAREF) and developed by Graftongate, will commence immediately with completion expected before the end of 2011.

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For further information please contact the Amazon.co.uk Ltd press office on 020 8636 9280.

About Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk opened its virtual doors in October 1998 and strives to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavours to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.

Amazon.co.uk and other sellers offer millions of new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Baby, Books, Car & Motorbike, Clothing, DIY & Tools, DVD, Electronics & Photo, Grocery, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Jewellery, MP3, Music, Musical Instruments & DJ, Office, PC, Pet Supplies, Shoes, Software, Sports & Leisure, Toys & Games, Video Games and Watches.

Kindle and Kindle 3G are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle 3G utilises the same 3G wireless technology as advanced mobile phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.com.

Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business.

Amazon.co.uk is a trading name for Amazon EU S.a.r.l, Amazon Services Europe S.a.r.l and Amazon Media EU S.a.r.l. All three are wholly owned subsidiaries of global online retailer Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), located in Seattle, Washington.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn and www.amazon.it. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.