Amazon is set to invest £40 billion in the UK over the next three years from 2025-27 in a record spending announcement.
The move further cements Amazon’s long-term commitment to the UK as a key market and powerhouse of talent and innovation.
The far-reaching investment will impact several industries, including logistics, digital technology, creative industries, and cloud computing. It is expected to add £38 billion to the UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2027.
A significant portion of the £40 billion spending spree will expand Amazon’s operational network throughout the UK. That includes four new, high-tech fulfillment centers. Two of these sites, Hull and Northampton, are already known. Two additional fulfillment centers will open in the East Midlands.
While it is unknown where these will be, the expansion suggests that the tech giant is keen to spread its sites further across the country rather than just concentrating on London, where much of its previous infrastructure spending has occurred.
Along with these new sites, Amazon will open dozens of new delivery stations to assist with its last-mile delivery service. They’ll help slash delivery time, cut congestion, and enable businesses to be more productive all across the UK.
The online retail powerhouse also intends to renovate and grow over 100 active buildings, including warehouses and sortation centers. Investments such as new robotic systems, sustainability improvements, and worker-friendly features will increase safety and productivity.
Amazon will also create two new office buildings at its UK headquarters in East London to back up its corporate employees. They are intended to house locally based teams in software development, customer experience, and artificial intelligence.
Amazon to create thousands of jobs across UK.
Amazon’s £40 billion commitment would significantly impact employment in the UK, especially in areas that have received less investment from the private sector in the past. The firm expects thousands of permanent, full-time jobs to be established throughout the country over the next three years.
Amazon has over 75,000 employees in the UK and is one of Britain’s largest private-sector employers. That number will increase substantially with the expansion, and the new and existing plants will generate more than 60 different kinds of jobs.
Positions will range from warehouse associates and robotics technicians to mechatronic engineers, IT workers, and health and safety officers. The firm is also pioneering apprenticeships and training schemes, which have been secured since the lockdown, to maintain a talent pipeline for future positions.
Amazon pays a competitive wage starting at £28,000 a year outside London and £30,000 in London. The company also provides various employee benefits, such as health care, parental leave, and education assistance.
Amazon supercharges UK’s digital and creative sectors with cloud, AI, and studio expansion.
A large part of Amazon’s investment will be towards enhancing the UK’s digital economy. That funding extends to Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company’s cloud computing unit.
Amazon said in September 2024 it planned to spend £8bn by 2028 creating, operating, and servicing data centers throughout the UK.
These data centers will help power cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning services. They will be vital to UK companies of all sizes and will help drive national aspirations to lead the world in AI infrastructure.
Amazon is expanding its footprint with Prime Video and studio operations in the creative field. It will redevelop the historic Bray Film Studios in Berkshire as part of the new investment. The site will become a major production hub for UK-originated film and TV content, providing new opportunities for the creative economy and creating hundreds of jobs for the area for production crews, writers, and actors.
The company also invests in upskilling UK creatives through multimillion-pound training initiatives and a new education partnership focused on media and digital production.
