Amazon to shut down three warehouses in the UK, layoffs are expected

Amazon is planning to close down three of its warehouses in the United Kingdom, and this was confirmed by the company on Tuesday, Jan. 10. It said that it initiated a consultation to shut the facilities where 1,2000 people are employed.

As per CNBC, Amazon is looking to discontinue operations in three locations, and these are in Gourock, Doncaster, and Hemel Hempstead. The e-commerce firm’s spokesman told the publication that this move is part of an evaluation of its network to ensure “it fits our business needs and to improve the experience of our employees and customers.”

The closures will also mean job layoffs, and Amazon is offering some support to those who will be affected. It said the workers would be offered new jobs somewhere else and did not mention any specific location. Then again, the company assured there are opportunities planned for 300 workers who will be displaced at Gourock in western Scotland.

The spokesperson further said that the shutting down of the listed sites in the U.K. is not part of the 18,000 job cuts that it announced last week. In this region, Amazon has a total of 75,000 workers, and now it is trying to curtail some of the expansion it has undertaken at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now bracing for the predicted economic downturn this year.

“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,” the company’s spokesman said. The company plans to open two new fulfillment centers in the U.K. over the next three years, in Peddimore and Stockton-on-Tees, adding 2,500 jobs.

In any case, Reuters reported that Amazon operates 30 warehouses in the U.K., and all affected employees of the warehouse shutdown will be given a chance to move to other nearby fulfillment centers. Moreover, the company has plans to open two new warehouses in the northeast and central parts of England in the next three years. Once operational, these facilities will create 2,500 jobs for the locals.

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