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Amazon to create 1000 jobs at new Bristol distribution centre
Amazon has announced it will be opening a new ‘fulfilment’ centre in Severn Beach, creating 1,000 jobs for a range of new roles, including operations managers, engineers, HR and IT specialists.
The distribution centre, which will be the fourteenth in the UK, is part of the company’s ongoing £6.4bn investment into its UK-based infrastructure.
The Bristol site will be kitted out with Amazon’s robots which slide under the towers of shelves where products are stowed, and lift and move them autonomously.
Permanent staff will earn at least £7.65 an hour in pay at the distribution centre, with increases over the following two years bringing wages to £8.15 or more.
Filton & Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti told the FT: “This will bring more jobs to our area and offer careers with training opportunities, helping the local economy to grow.
“An international outward looking company like Amazon will help us maximise the fantastic opportunities for our region after Brexit.”
But the news comes just days after new light was shed on the the tech giant’s tax avoidance.
Recent reports show the online retailer paid just £15m in tax on European revenues of £19.5bn, while Amazon UK Services – the company’s warehouse and logistics operation – halved its declared UK corporation tax bill from £15.8m in 2015 to £7.4m in 2016 despite doubling turnover during the same period.
Amazon also hit the headlines in July when founder Jeff Bezos saw his personal worth surpass $90bn (£70bn), making him briefly the world’s richest person until he was once again usurped by Bill Gates before the day was out.
Read more: Bristol Amazon drivers ‘work illegal hours’
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