Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today confirmed plans to open two
fulfillment centers in Hillsborough County and Lakeland, Fla., that will
each be more than 1 million square feet. Amazon will create more than
1,000 full-time jobs in the state when these fulfillment centers open in
the state of Florida.
“We look forward to offering more than 1,000 full-time jobs with
comprehensive benefits at our new fulfillment centers in Hillsborough
County and Lakeland, Florida,” said Mike Roth, Amazon’s vice president
of North America operations. “We appreciate the state, city and county
officials who have worked with us to bring these fulfillment centers to
Florida. We’re excited to join the community, bringing great jobs and
investment to the area.”
Amazon fulfillment center jobs pay on average 30 percent more than
traditional retail jobs and that doesn’t even include the stock grants
that full-time employees receive. Amazon employees receive comprehensive
benefits, including healthcare starting on day one, 401(k) and company
stock awards. Amazon also offers full-time employees innovative programs
like Career Choice, where the company will pre-pay up to 95 percent of
tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether
the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. Since the program’s
launch last summer, employees are pursuing degrees in game design and
visual communications, nursing, IT programming and radiology, to name a
few.
“I would like to thank Amazon for recognizing that Florida’s
business-friendly environment we’ve helped create is the perfect place
for their latest expansion,” said Florida Governor Rick Scott. “On
behalf of all Floridians, we welcome Amazon and the great jobs and
opportunities that their expansion brings to Florida families.”
At the Lakeland facility, Amazon employees will pick, pack and ship
large items to customers, such as kayaks, televisions and more. At the
Hillsborough location, employees will send smaller items to
customers—anything from books, electronics and consumer goods, to name a
few.
“Amazon’s decision to invest in Florida is yet another vote of
confidence in the state’s business climate. The distribution facilities
in Hillsborough County and Lakeland are incredibly important for those
regions as well as the state,” said Secretary of Commerce and President
and CEO of Enterprise Florida Gray Swoope. “This announcement signifies
that Florida has the infrastructure, workforce and business-friendly
climate needed to support companies like Amazon. We are extremely
fortunate in Florida to have announced numerous game-changing
competitive job projects over the last two years, and we look forward to
watching Amazon grow in our state.”
The Hillsborough County project will be developed by Seefried
Development Management, Inc. and Johnson Development Associates, Inc.
will develop the Lakeland site. USAA Real Estate Company is the landlord
for both projects. To learn more about working at an Amazon fulfillment
center, visit www.amazonfulfillmentcareers.com.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle,
opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s
Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most
customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything
they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the
lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of
unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books;
Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home
& Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health &
Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web
Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to
in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end
technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any
type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the world’s best-selling and most
advanced e-reader. It features new display technology with higher
contrast, the next generation built-in light, a faster processor, the
latest touch technology, and exclusive new features designed from the
ground up for readers. Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle,
features improved fonts and faster page turns. The new Kindle Fire HDX
features a stunning exclusive 7” or 8.9” HDX display, a quad-core 2.2
GHz processor, 2x more memory, and 11 hours of battery life, as well as
exclusive new features of Fire OS 3.0 including X-Ray for Music, Second
Screen, Prime Instant Video downloads, and the revolutionary new Mayday
button. The all-new Kindle Fire HD includes an HD display,
high-performance processor and dual speakers at a breakthrough price.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com,
www.amazon.co.uk,
www.amazon.de,
www.amazon.co.jp,
www.amazon.fr,
www.amazon.ca,
www.amazon.cn,
www.amazon.it,
www.amazon.es,
www.amazon.com.br,
www.amazon.in,
and www.amazon.com.mx.
As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include
Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates
otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly
from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve
risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to
competition, management of growth, new products, services and
technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international
expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and
data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements,
acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system
interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments
and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect
Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
Copyright Business Wire 2013