Global ecommerce player Amazon has confirmed that it will build a £500 million fulfilment centre at Segro's flagship Northampton site.
CoStar News revealed at the beginning of the year that Amazon was returning to UK big-box logistics acquisitions in a big way after striking a deal for a large chunk of the Segro Logistics Park Northampton development.
Market sources told CoStar News in January that Amazon had acquired the land from Segro at the end of last year, with the brand planning on building a circa 2 million-square-foot, multi-tier warehouse.
Amazon had curtailed expansion in the UK and elsewhere in spring 2022 as part of an attempt to reduce operating costs.
But the retailer has confirmed that it is once again growing its operations in the UK through the development of the Northampton fulfilment centre close to the M1. The facility will have three floors of robotics and create up to 2,000 jobs once fully operational.
Amazon will will fund, deliver, own and operate the fulfilment centre, making energy efficiency a "top priority" in the construction of the facility.
Neil Travis, Amazon's regional director, said in a statement: "The East Midlands is an important region for Amazon, with more than 6,000 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 Northampton.
"Amazon continues to invest in our buildings and innovative technology to provide our people with some of the most advanced workplaces of their kind in the world, ensuring their wellbeing while delivering for our customers."
A spokesperson for Amazon added that the centre would be taking customer orders in 2026 and that it would house staff from its engineering, HR and IT, health and safety and finance teams, as well workers who would pick, pack and ship customer orders.
The company says it has invested more than £56 billion in the UK since 2010, with market sources telling CoStar earlier this year that the firm is looking to acquire an additional two or three sites in England.
It also committed to expanding its operations in East Yorkshire, confirming that it was advancing plans for a £150 million fulfilment centre close to Hull in September.
Its East Midlands fulfilment centre will sit on the Segro Logistics Park Northampton development scheme, where the industrial developer is building more than five million square feet of warehouses opposite Junction 15 of the M1 motorway. A strategic rail freight interchange is also being built, with Winvic Construction leading the works.