Amazon opens in Fife
First Minister Alex Salmond yesterday joined Amazon's Vice President of European Operations Allan Lyall and Fife Council leader Councillor Peter Grant to officially open the company's new one million square-foot fulfilment centre in Fife.
The Dunfermline facility - the largest in the UK at approximately the size of 14 football pitches - will eventually create 750 new permanent jobs and up to 1,500 temporary jobs during the peak Christmas period.
Mr Salmond and Mr Lyall also visited Amazon's new customer service centre in Edinburgh where the FM presented certificates to Amazon employees joining the company on a permanent basis.
The centre at Waverley Gate handles both internet and telephone customer queries for Amazon.co.uk, including technical support for Amazon Kindle and MP3, and will create more than 900 new permanent and temporary jobs over five years.
Both developments, along with the creation of 200 new posts at Amazon's Gourock fulfilment centre, are backed by £4.3 million of Scottish Enterprise RSA and training awards, and underline the continued confidence of major inward investors in Scotland.
Funding of up to £6.3 million has also been made available to support the construction of the Dunfermline building through the SE Scottish Property Support Scheme.
The FM said: "The opening of Amazon's fantastic new fulfilment centre in Dunfermline is a testament to their continued success as a world-leading online retailer and to the skills and abilities of the Scottish workforce that the company continues to recognise in its investment decisions.
"The Scottish Government, working with our enterprise agencies and with SDI, is determined to continue working with leading global companies such as Amazon to encourage them to invest and grow their business in Scotland, delivering jobs and supporting economic growth across the country.
"I'm also delighted to be able to meet staff both at the fulfilment centre and at the new Customer Services Centre in Edinburgh, to congratulate them on contributing to Amazon's continued success and its growing presence in Scotland."
Mr Lyall commented:"We are delighted to open our largest UK fulfilment centre here in Dunfermline. We aim to offer our customers the highest level of service and this centre will play an important role in the delivery of millions of items to customers all over the UK, Europe and the World. The talented workforce from our Glenrothes fulfilment centre is transferring to Dunfermline and bringing with them a wealth of experience and Amazon knowledge for the benefit of all our customers.
"These experienced employees are being joined by a new, strong, local workforce with recruitment continuing over the Christmas period and into the New Year. We look forward to a successful future here in Dunfermline and would like to thank the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International for their commitment and cooperation at every stage.
"Scotland has been a fantastic location for a number of Amazon fulfilment centres over the years, so when we needed a home for our new customer service centre, Edinburgh was top of the list. With the new fulfilment centre and customer services centre in place, we look forward to a busy Christmas period and providing our customers with low prices, vast selection and a high level of convenience."
Councillor Grant added:"We are delighted to welcome Amazon to Fife and to see this massive fulfilment centre officially opened today. This is the biggest inward investment into Fife in a generation and we are extremely proud that Amazon has chosen Fife as the location to create 750 new jobs and even more during peak times.
"The decision is a tribute to the quality of the workforce at Amazon in Glenrothes and I welcome the fact that they will have the chance to take up jobs in the new centre. It proves that Fife is an ideal place to live, work, visit and invest.
"We look forward to forging a long lasting relationship with Amazon and hope that the positive benefits of having such a world class business on our doorstep will encourage other investors to come to Fife. I wish them every success in the future."
Scottish Enterprise chairman Crawford Gilles said:"We know that our excellent skills base combined with a well developed and supportive business environment, means Scotland is a highly attractive location for international investment. The decision by a truly global brand, like Amazon, to build its largest UK fulfillment centre in Dunfermline clearly demonstrates this.
"The new jobs will not only be of real benefit here in Fife, but also to the wider economy in Scotland. Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International look forward to continuing to work closely with Amazon to look at how we can continue to support their future growth plans."
Amazon has seven fulfilment centres in the UK: Dunfermline and Gourock in Scotland; Swansea Bay in Wales; and Marston Gate, Peterborough, Doncaster and Rugeley in England.
Recruiting for more than 1,000 permanent and temporary employees at Dunfermline has already commenced, including hundreds of temporary Associate roles and positions across many different areas from Operations and IT to HR and Engineering.
The new centre has been built on development land alongside the M90 near to the junction with the A92. It will distribute a wide range of items to Amazon customers all over the UK, Europe and the World and will also provide extra capacity for an ever-increasing selection of products. In addition the Customer Service Centre in Edinburgh, an Amazon software development centre - responsible for devising, creating and developing major features for Amazon customers worldwide - is situated at Waverley Gate.