Global online retailer Amazon has officially opened its new one million square foot centre in Dunfermline.
First Minister Alex Salmond joined Amazon’s Vice President of European Operations Allan Lyall and Fife Council leader Councillor Peter Grant to officially open the new fulfilment centre which will create 2250 new jobs.
Global online retailer Amazon has officially opened its new one million square foot centre in Dunfermline.
First Minister Alex Salmond joined Amazon’s Vice President of European Operations Allan Lyall and Fife Council leader Councillor Peter Grant to officially open the new fulfilment centre which will create 2250 new jobs.
The Dunfermline facility – the largest in the UK at approximately the size of 14 football pitches – will eventually create 750 new permanent jobs and up to 1,500 temporary jobs during the peak Christmas period.
Mr Salmond and Mr Lyall also visited Amazon’s new customer service centre in Edinburgh where the FM presented certificates to Amazon employees joining the company on a permanent basis.
The centre at Waverley Gate handles both internet and telephone customer queries for Amazon.co.uk, including technical support for Amazon Kindle and MP3, and will create more than 900 new permanent and temporary jobs over five years.
Both developments, along with the creation of 200 new posts at Amazon’s Gourock fulfilment centre, are backed by £4.3 million of Scottish Enterprise RSA and training awards, and underline the continued confidence of major inward investors in Scotland.
Funding of up to £6.3 million has also been made available to support the construction of the Dunfermline building through the SE Scottish Property Support Scheme.
The First Minister welcomed the decision of Amazon to invest in Scotland and acknowledged the dedication of its Scottish staff in contributing to the organisation’s growing presence in Scotland
Mr Salmond said:
“The opening of Amazon’s fantastic new fulfilment centre in Dunfermline is a testament to their continued success as a world-leading online retailer and to the skills and abilities of the Scottish workforce that the company continues to recognise in its investment decisions.
“The Scottish Government, working with our enterprise agencies and with SDI, is determined to continue working with leading global companies such as Amazon to encourage them to invest and grow their business in Scotland, delivering jobs and supporting economic growth across the country.
“I’m also delighted to be able to meet staff both at the fulfilment centre and at the new Customer Services Centre in Edinburgh, to congratulate them on contributing to Amazon’s continued success and its growing presence in Scotland.”
Mr Lyall, the organisation’s European Vice President praised the “talented” Scottish workforce and said:
“We are delighted to open our largest UK fulfilment centre here in Dunfermline. We aim to offer our customers the highest level of service and this centre will play an important role in the delivery of millions of items to customers all over the UK, Europe and the World…
Mr Lyle emphasised the important role played by the Scottish Government in attracting Amazon and added:
“…Scotland has been a fantastic location for a number of Amazon fulfilment centres over the years, so when we needed a home for our new customer service centre, Edinburgh was top of the list. With the new fulfilment centre and customer services centre in place, we look forward to a busy Christmas period and providing our customers with low prices, vast selection and a high level of convenience.”
Councillor Peter Grant added:
“We are delighted to welcome Amazon to Fife and to see this massive fulfilment centre officially opened today. This is the biggest inward investment into Fife in a generation and we are extremely proud that Amazon has chosen Fife as the location to create 750 new jobs and even more during peak times.
Recruiting for more than 1,000 permanent and temporary employees at Dunfermline has already commenced, including hundreds of temporary Associate roles and positions across many different areas from Operations and IT to HR and Engineering.
The new centre has been built on development land alongside the M90 near to the junction with the A92. It will distribute a wide range of items to Amazon customers all over the UK, Europe and the World and will also provide extra capacity for an ever-increasing selection of products.
In addition the Customer Service Centre in Edinburgh, an Amazon software development centre – responsible for devising, creating and developing major features for Amazon customers worldwide – is situated at Waverley Gate.