ONLINE shopping giant Amazon predicts more than 1,000 people will be working at its new Hemel Hempstead depot by next Christmas.
A mix of permanent and temporary posts will be available when Amazon moves into the enormous Mammoth building in Boundary Way in 2012.
The company, the biggest internet retailer in the world, has now started recruiting for the centre, which is designed to speed up delivery times.
Arthur Valdez, vice president for operations, said: “Our aim is to provide customers with the very best shopping experience and the opening of this new fulfilment centre in Hemel Hempstead will provide us with extra capacity for an ever-increasing number of products.
“We look forward to assembling a great local workforce in Hemel Hempstead who will work together to ensure that customers benefit from fast delivery on the millions of great value products available from Amazon.co.uk”
The company forms part of a wave of new arrivals in the town, including food and drink distribution company Palmer and Harvey.
The distribution centre will become Amazon’s eighth in the UK alongside Marston Gate, Doncaster, Peterborough and Rugeley in England, Dunfermline and Gourock in Scotland and Swansea Bay in Wales.
The company’s expansion into Hemel Hempstead comes despite a reported drop in profits at the firm. Group profits fell by 73 per cent to £39 million in the quarter to September, but the company announced new Kindle reader devices and rising sales.
Amazon.co.uk started trading in 1998 as a bookseller but has since expanded into music, DVDs, video games, electronics, furniture, food and toys.
Anyone interested in a job at the new centre should visit www.amazon.co.uk/careers