London – 12th May 2015 – Amazon has today announced that it will open a 310,000 sq ft fulfilment centre in Dunstable, creating 500 new permanent jobs. The centre will begin fulfilling customer orders this Autumn.

“Over the last two years, we have added well in excess of 2,000 new employees to our UK workforce and we are delighted to be able to create a further 500 permanent jobs at our new Dunstable centre,” said John Tagawa, Director of UK Operations at Amazon. “We look forward to our Dunstable centre playing an integral role in providing a first class shopping experience for customers across the UK, Europe and the world.”

Recruitment for the Dunstable fulfilment centre will be via local recruitment agencies with roles also listed on the Amazon.co.uk careers website www.amazon.jobs/dunstable-england. Compensation and benefits include:

• Permanent associates employed at Dunstable fulfilment centre start on £8.10 per hour rising to £8.90 per hour after 24 months.
• All permanent associates receive stock grants after one year’s service.
• Private medical insurance, a company pension plan, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount.
• Career Choice – the innovative education programme that pre-pays 95% of tuition and associated fees for permanent employees to undertake nationally recognised courses.
• Four ten-hour shifts per week means associates benefit from three days off every week. This shift pattern has proved popular in other fulfilment centres across the UK with fewer visits to work saving both time and money on a weekly basis.

To hear personal accounts from Amazon associates, visit: www.amazon-operations.co.uk/the-complete-package
Amazon has invested well over £1 billion in its UK Operations to date. The new site in Dunstable will work with Amazon’s existing fulfilment centres across the UK to ensure that millions of customers receive their items on time and in perfect condition. Amazon already has eight fulfilment centres in UK, which are located in Doncaster, Dunfermline, Gourock, Hemel Hempstead, Marston Gate, Peterborough, Rugeley and Swansea Bay. Together, more than 7,000 permanent employees work at these centres.

"I am delighted that a world-class organisation like Amazon is creating 500 new permanent jobs for Dunstable and the surrounding areas. The opening of Amazon’s ninth fulfilment centre in Dunstable further strengthens the area’s reputation as a vibrant location for business, and the logistics sector in particular,” said Cllr Nigel Young, Executive Member for Regeneration. “Amazon's arrival is an important milestone in the overall regeneration story that is now being delivered in Dunstable and Houghton Regis and they will no doubt benefit from the excellent transport links provided by the Luton Dunstable Busway which will soon be further enhanced by the A5-M1 and Woodside Link roads.”

For a tour of an Amazon FC in the UK, visit www.amazonfctours.co.uk for more information on our Public Tours Program.

The Dunstable fulfilment centre is located on the Prologis Park, Boscombe Road, Dunstable.

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About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfilment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

For further information please contact:
Amazon.co.uk Ltd Press Office
Email: pressoffice@amazon.co.uk
Tel: 0203 680 0888