Online retail giant Amazon has confirmed it is opening a state-of-the-art fulfilment centre using robotics technology in Birmingham - bringing 1,300 new jobs to the region.
The facility, on the new Peddimore estate south east of Sutton Coldfield, is expected to be up and running within the next three years.
Amazon was rumoured to be eyeing the industrial park two years ago and consent was granted in August 2021 for a 2.3 million sq ft warehouse with almost 800 parking spaces but nothing has ever been officially announced by the US giant until now.
It will be the retailer's latest fulfilment centre in the West Midlands, said to be one of the most-advanced facilities of its type, adding to its bases in Rugeley and Coventry which opened in 2011 and 2018 respectively and a delivery station in Minworth.
Amazon is still yet to make any official statement about the new centre at Peddimore and there are very few details available at this stage other than it will be led by new robotics technology.
This will mean machines are able to collect items from racks and move them around the warehouse - jobs previously done by people.
It is understood that this does not mean the centre would employ fewer people but rather there would be a greater variety of roles on offer, especially in areas such as engineering. A second new fulfilment centre is also being built in Stockton-on-Tees, in the North East, creating around 1,200 jobs.
The wider Peddimore estate is being constructed across four separate development zones which are expected to create millions of sq ft of commercial floorspace.
The project, on 175 acres of land next to the A38 and Peddimore Lane, has the potential to create up to 6,500 jobs and support a further 3,000 in the associated supply chain. Infrastructure work including a new roundabout on the A38 began in summer 2021.
The news of Amazon's expansion onto Peddimore comes as the retailer reveals proposals to close three of its other UK fulfilment centres in Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, Doncaster in South Yorkshire and Gourock near Glasgow.
The 1,200 affected employees are being offered the option to relocate to other Amazon buildings as part of a newly launched consultation.
This follows the news last week that Amazon workers in Coventry were due to take industrial action on January 25 in a row over pay - the first time its workers in the UK would be going on strike.
A statement from Amazon on the trio of proposed closures 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."
