Amazon warehouse closures put 1,200 jobs at risk

Online retail giant Amazon has said it plans to shut three warehouses in the UK, putting 1,200 jobs at risk.

However, the company also said it planned to open two new centres creating 2,500 jobs over the next three years.

The three warehouses being closed are in Hemel Hempstead, Doncaster and Gourock, in the west of Scotland.

The firm said staff at the sites being closed would be offered the chance to move to other Amazon locations.

Last week, Amazon said it planned to cut more than 18,000 jobs globally, the largest number in the firm’s history, in an attempt to reduce costs.

An Amazon spokesperson told the BBC that the decision to close the UK warehouses was made after a review of operations in the country and was “completely unrelated” to the wider cuts.

The firm said the new warehouses would be “state of the art” robotic facilities located in Peddimore, West Midlands, and Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham.

“We’re always evaluating our network to make sure it fits our business needs and to improve the experience for our employees and customers,” the company said.

Amazon, which launched in the UK in 1998, expanded rapidly during the pandemic.

It currently employs about 70,000 people in the UK, including 400 workers at the Doncaster centre, 500 at Hemel Hempstead and 300 at Gourock.

It has faced growing pressure over workers’ rights since the pandemic.

Hundreds of workers at a warehouse in Coventry voted last month to stage what is believed to be the first strike action at the company in the UK. The walkout, part of a row over pay, is set to happen on 25 January.