Gateway45: Amazon opens huge new packing centre in Leeds as online giant set to create more than 2,000 jobs
Amazon has opened a new fulfilment centre in Leeds, which will create more than 2,000 jobs in the coming months.
The online giant is investing £500m in the site, at Gateway45 on the south eastern edge of the city. It will use advanced technology across three floors to pick, pack and ship orders to customers.
The company is recruiting for jobs including engineers, HR and IT professionals, finance, and health and safety staff – as well as employees who pick, pack and ship customer orders.
It is Amazon’s 31st UK fulfilment centre and is located less than 10 miles from its Wakefield centre, which started operations in October 2022.
James Mason, West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce chief executive, said: “This further, significant investment from Amazon is a confirmation of our strategic location for the logistics industry as a whole, and a ringing endorsement for the strength and skillset of the workforce in our region.
“We at the Chamber welcome the job creation, a significant boost for the region’s economy.”
Richard Thompson, Amazon’s regional director, said: “West Yorkshire is an important region for Amazon, with more than 3,800 small and medium-sized enterprise selling partners, and I am delighted to confirm our ongoing commitment with this £500 million investment in a new, state-of-the-art fulfilment centre in Leeds.
“This new site will create more than 2,000 new jobs, taking our total workforce in the region to more than 4,000 full and part-time roles, and our investment in the region to more than £1.5 billion since 2010.”
Mandy Ridyard, business adviser to the Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Amazon’s multimillion-pound investment in Leeds is a fantastic vote of confidence in our region and supports our ambition to drive economic growth.
“I’m delighted that thousands more new jobs will be created for people throughout our communities, as we work to build a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.”
Amazon said it has invested more than £56 billion in the UK since 2010.