Global retail giant Amazon has confirmed the closure of a South Tyneside base as part of a major UK network shake-up.
The online retailer is closing a delivery station in Jarrow in a move which will affect 50 jobs. The company said that the employees will, however, transfer to a nearby delivery station in the area. The announcement comes as the company reveals significant changes to its UK operations, which will lead to the closure of three large units as well as the launch of two new massive warehouses, including one in the North East which will create more than 1,000 jobs.
The firm has launched consultations over the closure of sites in Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, Doncaster in South Yorkshire and Gourock, in the west of Scotland. 1,200 jobs will be affected but all workers at the sites will be offered roles at other Amazon locations. Amazon will open new delivery stations in Havant, Hampshire, and Aylesford, Kent, while replacing existing, older delivery stations in Portsmouth and Aylesford, where employees at those sites will transfer to the new buildings.
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The Jarrow base earmarked for closure is one of a further five delivery stations – in Huntingdon, Horley, Birmingham and Hemel Hempstead – which will also close, with employees transferring to other stations in the local area.
Meanwhile, workers with general contractor ISG have been building a base for the online business since last spring at Wynyard, where the structure is following the same footprint as Amazon’s three-storey warehouses in Durham and Darlington. Amazon confirmed the base will be one of two huge sites set to open in the UK over the next three years – the other being opened in Peddimore, West Midlands – creating more than 2,500 jobs between them. A spokesman for the company said the Wynyard base alone will create more than 1,000 roles.
The firm said: “We’re always evaluating our network to make sure it fits our business needs and to improve the experience for our employees and customers. As part of that effort, we may close older sites, enhance existing facilities or open new sites, and we’ve launched a consultation on the proposed closure of three fulfilment centres in 2023.
“We also plan to open two new fulfilment centres creating 2,500 new jobs over the next three years. All employees affected by site closure consultations will be offered the opportunity to transfer to other facilities and we remain committed to our customers, employees and communities across the UK.”
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