Amazon to open Bristol fulfilment centre

Amazon is creating 1,000 new jobs through the opening of a new warehouse in Bristol next year.

The move is part of Amazon's expansion of its UK fulfilment network to meet customer demands, boost selection and enable small businesses selling on Amazon Marketplace to scale their operations.

The 1,000 new jobs in Bristol opening from 2018 are in addition to the 5,000 new permanent roles that Amazon is creating this year, meaning that by the end of this year its workforce will total 24,000 across its head office, three development sites and fulfilment and customer service centres.

Amazon has invested £6.4bn in the UK since 2010 in its UK-based research and development, head office and fulfilment and logistics infrastructure, the company said.

The e-commerce giant previously announced that it will open fulfilment centres in Dunstable, Doncaster, Tilbury and Warrington in 2017, creating more than 3,500 new permanent jobs. The company currently has 13 fulfilment sites in the UK.

Recruitment will begin next year for a range of new roles, including operations managers, engineers, HR and IT specialists. Wages for permanent employees at fulfilment centre in Warrington will start on at least £7.65 an hour and rising to at least £8.15 an hour within the first two years.

The Bristol centre's advanced technology will feature robots which can slide under a tower of shelves where products are stowed, lift it and move it through the building.

“We are very excited to expand our network into Bristol, which will in total create more than 1,000 new permanent roles with competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one,” said Stefano Perego, Amazon’s director of UK customer fulfilment.

He added: “There are several factors we consider when deciding on where to place a new fulfilment centre, and Bristol offers fantastic infrastructure and talented local people who we look forward to joining the Amazon team.”

Last week the Booksellers Association (BA) called for the UK’s tax system to be overhauled after it emerged that Amazon UK Services corporation tax bill halved last year despite its sales soaring past £1bn for the first time.

Giles Clifton, head of corporate affairs at the BA, said that the UK’s tax system was “out of date” heavily weighted against brick and mortar retailers.

He was speaking after results filed on Companies House on 9th August, and first reported by The Bookseller, revealed turnover at Amazon's UK Services arm soared past £1bn for the first time in 2016 to £1.5bn, but its corporation tax payments halved to £7.4m.