Amazon to create 1,200 new jobs with new Warrington fulfilment centre

Amazon is creating 1,200 new permanent jobs with the opening of a new fulfilment centre in Warrington.

The move is part of a drive to increase the size of its UK fulfilment centre network - Warrington is one of four new fulfilment centres it is opening this year - to accomodate increasing customer demands, an expanding catalogue and enable SMEs selling on Amazon Marketplace to scale their business. 

Wages for permanent employees at fulfilment centre in Warrington will be "competitive", according to Amazon, starting on at least £7.65 an hour and rising to at least £8.15 an hour within the first two years. Amazon will begin recruiting later this year for a range of new roles, including operations managers, engineers, HR and IT specialists. 

Permanent employees working in Amazon's fulfilment centres are also eligible to receive stock grants, which over the last five years equal to £1,000 or more per year per employee, and a benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, subsidised meals and an employee discount, as well as a company pension plan. It also offers to pre-pay 95% of tuition and fees for adult education (up to £8,000 over four years) as part of a programme for employees called Career Choice.

Stefano Perego, Amazon’s director of UK customer fulfilment, said: “We are thrilled to begin recruitment for 1,200 new permanent roles in Warrington with competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one." 

Last year Amazon announced that it would open fulfilment centres in Daventry, Doncaster and Tilbury in 2017, creating over 2,300 new permanent full time jobs, bringing its total number of fulfilment centres in the UK to 12. The Daventry site opened in February while Doncaster, Warrington and Tilbury will begin their operations in the autumn. 

Warrington and Tilbury fulfilment centres will be equipped with "advanced Amazon Robotics technology", according to Amazon, it says will increase efficiency and lower costs for customers. The robots slide under a tower of shelves where products are stowed, lift it and move it through the fulfilment centre.

Amazon's first dedicated UK receive centre will open in Coventry in 2018 and act as a central hub to receive and sort products sold on Amazon.co.uk. Recruitment for Coventry will begin in 2018 and will create 1,650 full time permanent jobs.