Amazon to create 900 UK jobs

Online retailer Amazon today announced plans to open a new processing centre in a move that will create 900 jobs.

The centre, in Rugeley, Staffordshire, will start processing orders from September and will deal with customers from the UK and across the world.

The announcement comes just months after the online retailer announced plans to create hundreds of jobs across Scotland.

Arthur Valdez, vice-president of operations at Amazon.co.uk, said: “The centre at Rugeley will play an important role in fulfilling orders for customers in the UK, Europe and all over the world.

“We have a busy Christmas coming up and look forward to assembling a team of talented people who will play their part in ensuring that customers receive the millions of items that will be ordered over the festive season.”

Amazon plans to open a one-million sq ft order fulfilment centre in Dunfermline before the end of the year, creating 750 permanent jobs and 1,500 temporary jobs during peak periods.

The company is also opening a new customer service centre in Edinburgh, in August, which will create a further 900 new jobs.

Amazon.co.uk Ltd currently has six fulfilment centres in UK – Glenrothes and Gourock in Scotland, Swansea Bay in Wales and Marston Gate, Peterborough and Doncaster in England.

Amazon was established in 1998 and offers a wide variety of products over the internet, including books, music, PC and video games.

The retailer revealed a steeper-than-expected drop in profits earlier this year after the cost of expanding its operations offset a jump in sales.

Net income of $201m was down by a third on a year ago, despite a 38% jump in revenues to $9.86bn.