Amazon starts the year of its 10th anniversary in Italy by opening two new fulfillment centers that will create 1.400 permanent jobs

· The two new fulfillment centers will be located in Castelguglielmo/San Bellino (Veneto) and Colleferro (Lazio) and will be operational in Autumn 2020

· They will be environmentally friendly and sustainable facilities, with solar panels and other energy innovations powering the operation

· Amazon will create 1.400 permanent jobs in three years with competitive pay and comprehensive benefits from day one

Luxembourg, February 11, 2020 – Amazon announced today the opening of two new fulfillment centers in Italy this year. With the fulfillment centers in Castelguglielmo/San Bellino (Veneto) and Colleferro (Lazio), Amazon will create 1400 permanent jobs in three years on top of the company’s 6.900 existing roles already existing in the Country. The launch of the two new fulfillment centers means Amazon will have added over 140 million euros to the 4 billions euros already invested since 2010.

Amazon is further increasing the size of its Italian fulfillment center network to meet increasing customer demand, expand its product selection and support a growing number of independent small businesses selling at Amazon using Fulfillment by Amazon warehousing and delivery.

“We are proud and excited to expand our operation with two new fulfillment centers in Veneto and Lazio,” said Roy Perticucci, VP Amazon EU Operations. “2020 marks our tenth year in Italy, and in that time we’ve invested heavily in the country and its people, employing thousands of talented individuals who receive competitive pay and comprehensive benefits from day one. This new investment is another sign of our commitment to the people and communities of Italy, creating 1.400 new permanent jobs and helping us deliver to even more customers across the Country.”

The fulfillment center located in the municipalities of Castelguglielmo and San Bellino, 25km away from Rovigo in Veneto region, will create up to 900 jobs within three years of launch of the site. The site, whose construction works are carried out by P3 Logistic Parks, will be equipped with advanced Amazon Robotics technology focused on the health and wellbeing of the employees. This is just the latest in a long line of innovative technology Amazon introduced to assist warehouse associates that help to reduce walking time by moving the shelves to them.

The Colleferro fulfilment center will be the second opened by Amazon in Lazio region after the Passo Corese facility, which started operations in 2017. Vailog srl (Gruppo Segro) is responsible for the construction of the warehouse that will provide over 500 new permanent jobs within 2023. This facility will be used by Amazon to stock larger products, working in partnership with a similar site opened in 2017 in Vercelli.

The new facilities will be operational in Autumn 2020 and will integrate energy savings and a low overall CO2 footprint. In particular solar panels will be installed on the roof, low energy consumption systems will be provided such as LED lighting, heat and energy recovery in the ventilation systems, while windows, roof and façade will be provided with high thermal efficiency in order to guarantee insulation. The building will be delivered with a BREEAM very good certification. Green areas and planting will also carried out to maintain the balance of biodiversity of the area.

"I am pleased that the municipality of Castelguglielmo will host in its area a great multinational company like Amazon", said Maurizio Passerini, Mayor of Castelguglielmo. "I hope it will become a driver of economic growth and wealth for our community and for the entire Polesine region. I cannot avoid to mention strong hopes and expectations in managing such an impressive organization, but I'm sure that Polesine, Veneto Region and the institutions will all be close to us".

Aldo D'Achille, Mayor of San Bellino, commented: "We have requested support to carry out eco-sustainable initiatives and permanent employment. This is why I am already very satisfied with the result gained thanks to the company's commitment to create 900 permanent jobs in three years. The employment stability can be a driver to increase the number of people living in our municipalities and in our Polesine region: Amazon will be a key factor to achieve this result that will represent the first tipping point towards a positive future for our community".

"Our administration welcomes this opportunity as a driver of economic and industrial recovery in an area that, as we all know, suffered a deep economic, environmental and social crisis". Said Pierluigi Sanna, Mayor of Colleferro. "The new logistics center will be a relevant factor of clean employment growth for the entire area: for the first time we will host a plant "without chimneys", to which we have always been accustomed in our history. I would like to underline that this project stems from our commitment to welcome and encourage environmentally friendly industrial settlements, which increase employment and are well-suited to our area".

Amazon will begin recruiting for a range of positions for the two fulfillment center, from Operations Managers to Engineers, HR and IT roles to people who will handle customer orders. The managerial positions are already available at the following links: https://www.amazon.jobs/en/locations/castelguglielmo and https://www.amazon.jobs/en/locations/colleferro.

Amazon warehouse associates hiring will start in Summer. They will be hired at the 5^th grade of the Transport and Logistic CBA with an entry base salary of 1.550 gross euros, in the highest range of the logistics industry and a benefit package including employees’ discount on Amazon.it and an integrative insurance against injuries.

Amazon also offers employees an innovative program called Career Choice that provides funding for adult education, offering to pay up to 95% of tuition and associated fees for nationally recognized courses, up to €8,000 over four years. It means individuals can start their career at Amazon with zero formal qualifications and benefit from a fully accredited qualification and the skills needed to further their career opportunities inside or outside the company.

Investing in Italy

Amazon has invested to date four billions euro, and creating, since its arrival in 2010, over 6.900 new jobs. Its very first logistics facility in Italy was inaugurated in 2011. In 2017, distribution hubs were opened in the center of Italy in Passo Corese (Rieti) and in northern Italy in Vercelli, bringing with them 1,200 and 600 new jobs respectively. Last year, a fourth distribution facility was opened in Italy, in the northern reaches of Turin, at Torrazza Piemonte. It is expected to bring in 1,200 jobs within three years.

In addition, over the last two years Amazon has opened several sortation and delivery centers from north to south of Italy. To serve Amazon Prime Now customers, Amazon has also opened two urban distribution hub in Milan and Rome.

Not only has Amazon invested in the developing their Italian logistics network, but starting in 2013 opened a Customer Service office in Cagliari (Sardinia) and corporate offices in Milan. In November 2017, the company moved its Italian headquarters to a 17,500 sq meter building in the up and coming Porta Nuova neighborhood there. Amazon also runs an R&D lab in Turin working on voice recognition technologies serving its Alexa voice-activation system.

Alongside the new permanent roles that the company is creating, Amazon continues to empower entrepreneurs and individuals who want to start their business, digitize an existing one or earn extra money to supplement their incomes through different programs: Selling on Amazon and FBA. More than 18,000 jobs are supported by Italian sellers who have choosen Amazon Marketplace for operating their ecommerce channel. In 2018, these companies’ goods exports are worth over 500 million euros.