PM hails £40bn Amazon UK investment set to further re-shape distribution and delivery

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.transportxtra.com/publicati ... d-delivery

The UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has enthusiastically welcomed Amazon's commitment of £40 billion in investment across the UK over the next three years (2025-2027), hailing it as a "massive vote of confidence" in the nation's economic landscape and its new Industrial Strategy. This substantial investment is set to significantly reshape the country's distribution and delivery networks, create thousands of jobs, and boost the UK's GDP.

Key aspects of Amazon's £40 billion investment include:

- **New Fulfilment Centres:** Four new fulfilment centres will be built, including state-of-the-art facilities in Hull and Northampton (each creating 2,000 jobs), and additional sites in the East Midlands.
- **Expanded Delivery Network:** New delivery stations will be established nationwide, alongside upgrades and expansions to Amazon's existing network of over 100 operational buildings.
- **Job Creation:** Thousands of new permanent, full-time jobs will be created across various roles, including robot technicians, safety experts, and mechatronic engineers. The majority of these jobs are expected to be outside London and the South East, contributing to regional economic growth. Amazon already employs over 75,000 people in the UK.
- **Data Centre Investment:** A significant portion of the investment includes £8 billion previously announced in September 2024 for building, operating, and maintaining data centres in the UK. This will support the UK's ambition to increase AI compute capacity and meet the growing demand for cloud and AI technologies. This data centre investment alone is projected to contribute £14 billion to the UK economy over five years (2024-2028) and support 14,000 full-time equivalent jobs annually.
- **Transportation Infrastructure:** The investment will enhance Amazon's transportation infrastructure across all regions, aiming for faster and more efficient product distribution. This also includes the expansion of Amazon's electric heavy goods vehicle (eHGV) fleet, with over 140 new electric trucks joining its network.
- **Other Investments:** The plan also covers the redevelopment of the historic Bray Film Studios in Berkshire, continued investment in skills and training programmes, and support for original TV and film productions.

The Prime Minister emphasized that this investment aligns with the government's "Plan for Change" and its Modern Industrial Strategy, which aims to attract investment, drive growth, and create opportunities across the country. Chancellor Rachel Reeves also endorsed the investment as a "powerful endorsement of Britain's economic strengths."

Amazon anticipates that the overall £40 billion investment will contribute an additional £38 billion to the UK's GDP. While the announcement has been largely welcomed, some environmental concerns have been raised, particularly regarding the energy and water demands of the new data centres. Amazon has stated its commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 and powering all operations with renewable energy by 2025.

[SkiSunday]

**Thousands of new permanent full-time jobs will be created..

And not a single one in "deliveries" lol

[POSTMAN]