Amazon has revealed plans to increase the capacity of its Scotland Development Centre, which will see it take over the third floor at Edinburgh’s Waverley Gate site. The expansion will create space for an additional 250 roles.

At the same time, the company has announced that it will open a new corporate office in Manchester, creating at least 600 new corporate and research and development (R&D) roles. It also said its Cambridge centre would grow to accommodate 180 new roles.

Scottish Government Welcomes the Investment

Amazon already has more than 2,500 employees in Scotland across the Development Centre and customer service sites in Edinburgh, fulfilment centres in Dunfermline and Gourock, Prime Now site in Glasgow and delivery stations in Dundee and Motherwell.

Graeme Smith, managing director of Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “The new roles are Silicon Valley jobs right here in the heart of Scotland and will join teams working on large-scale projects using cutting edge technology which helps benefit hundreds of millions of Amazon customers around the world.

“Beyond creating these new roles we look forward to continuing to contribute to the wider tech-sector through our commitment to gender equality and diversity in the workplace, with activities including sponsorship of the Scotland Women In Technology Awards and the Amazon Women in Innovation Bursary.”

Economy Secretary Derek Mackay said: “This is welcome, additional investment in Amazon’s Scottish Development Centre in Edinburgh, which was the first of its kind outside of the US. This expansion will provide capacity for 250 new high-skilled roles and shows the level of talent in the Scottish workforce.

“The Scottish Government has an ambitious economic strategy to create the right environment for job growth. This includes delivering enhanced physical and digital infrastructure, core skills and increased innovation and use of technologies in key industries.”

Amazon Committed to the UK

Secretary of State for International Trade, The Rt Hon Liam Fox MP, said: “Amazon’s decision to create hundreds of highly-skilled jobs in Manchester, Edinburgh and Cambridge is an enormous vote of confidence in the UK and a signal to the world that the UK is very much open for business.”

Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than £9.3 billion in the UK to build and run its operations. The company has committed to creating 2,500 jobs in the UK in 2018, taking its total UK workforce to over 27,500.

In the UK, 85,000 people are employed by businesses selling on Amazon, and 60% of UK businesses selling on Amazon export, achieving £2.3bn exports in 2017.