Amazon to create 1,300 new jobs in Gateshead with a third fulfilment centre in the North East

The new site on Follingsby Lane in Gateshead will join sites in Darlington and Durham as the online giant continues to reap the rewards of the online shopping boom. Amazon, which is launching a £10m skills package designed to help it become 'earth's best employer', says the project will create 1,300 jobs in the local area.

These new jobs will take the retailers total UK workforce to 55,000. Amazon is also partnering with the British Chamber of Commerce to skill up 5,000 to work outside its business. In addition, the US-based company will create corporate roles in Cambridge, Edinburgh, London and Manchester, in addition to four new warehouses and a parcel receive centre.

Vote of confidence

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng called the announcement 'fantastic news' and said it was a vote of confidence in the British economy. With 10,000 new jobs in the pipeline, he said Amazon's UK investment was critical to the government's level up agenda.

Shevaun Haviland, director general of the BCC, said the move to provide staff with training to plug the skills gap showed how a business could be a force for good, benefiting the wider community. He said that Amazon's presence would be a key driver in boosting productivity and the wider economy as the UK 'builds back better' after the pandemic.

Amazon's UK country manager John Boumphrey commented that Amazon had big ambitions to be Earth's best employer, and was dedicated to being the most customer-centric and safest place to work. He said the company would create a diverse range of roles with excellent pay and benefits in addition to the Career Choice training that readies employees for jobs outside Amazon.

UK expansion

Plans for a huge warehouse at Chain Bar, Cleckheaton have been drawn up by Bristol-based ISG Retail Ltd, with Amazon the rumoured occupant. The proposed 23 metre tall, 317 metre long and 178 metre wide building would act as a storage and distribution facility and enable the creation of 1,500 jobs. Amazon has so far refused to confirm the rumours.

Built within easy reach of the M62 and M606, the plans also include a bus interchange along with easy accessibility for HGVs, cars and bicycles. With a ground floor measuring 695,000 sq ft, the mega warehouse will have a total of almost 2.9m sq ft of space. The proposed site is currently fields and the Spen Valley Heritage Trail will need to be rerouted around the north side of the site.

ISG claims the site will create 1,500 high-quality jobs in the local community from IT, catering and security to robotics and management. The construction and fit-out alone will create 800 jobs. The proposed site is designated as a future employment area in the Kirklees Local Plan, and a full application for planning will go in front of the council this month.

The current plans are the size of an eight-storey tower block that would cover three football pitches end to end. The vast site is described by opponents as 'wholly inappropriate' but others welcome the investment and jobs the project will bring to the area.

Amazon to create 1,300 new jobs in Gateshead with a third fulfilment centre in the North East

The new site on Follingsby Lane in Gateshead will join sites in Darlington and Durham as the online giant continues to reap the rewards of the online shopping boom. Amazon, which is launching a £10m skills package designed to help it become 'earth's best employer', says the project will create 1,300 jobs in the local area.

These new jobs will take the retailers total UK workforce to 55,000. Amazon is also partnering with the British Chamber of Commerce to skill up 5,000 people to work outside its business. In addition, the US-based company will create corporate roles in Cambridge, Edinburgh, London and Manchester, in addition to four new warehouses and a parcel receive centre.

Vote of confidence

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng called the announcement 'fantastic news' and said it was a vote of confidence in the British economy. With 10,000 new jobs in the pipeline, he said Amazon's UK investment was critical to the government's level up agenda.

Shevaun Haviland, director general of the BCC, said the move to provide staff with training to plug the skills gap showed how a business could be a force for good, benefiting the wider community. He said that Amazon's presence would be a key driver in boosting productivity and the wider economy as the UK 'builds back better' after the pandemic.

Amazon's UK country manager John Boumphrey commented that Amazon had big ambitions to be Earth's best employer, and was dedicated to being the most customer-centric and safest place to work. He said the company would create a diverse range of roles with excellent pay and benefits in addition to the Career Choice training that readies employees for jobs outside Amazon.

UK expansion

Plans for a huge warehouse at Chain Bar, Cleckheaton have been drawn up by Bristol-based ISG Retail Ltd, with Amazon the rumoured occupant. The proposed 23 metre tall, 317 metre long and 178 metre wide building would act as a storage and distribution facility and enable the creation of 1,500 jobs. Amazon has so far refused to confirm the rumours.

Built within easy reach of the M62 and M606, the plans also include a bus interchange along with easy accessibility for HGVs, cars and bicycles. With a ground floor measuring 695,000 sq ft, the mega warehouse will have a total of almost 2.9m sq ft of space. The proposed site is currently fields and the Spen Valley Heritage Trail will need to be rerouted around the north side of the site.

ISG claims the site will create 1,500 high-quality jobs in the local community from IT, catering and security to robotics and management. The construction and fit-out alone will create 800 jobs. The proposed site is designated as a future employment area in the Kirklees Local Plan, and a full application for planning will go in front of the council this month.

The current plans are the size of an eight-storey tower block that would cover three football pitches end to end. The vast site is described by opponents as 'wholly inappropriate' but others welcome the investment and jobs the project will bring to the area.