Amazon plans new DC, pickup center
Amazon.com is continuing its aggressive strategy of launching new distribution facilities and physical pickup centers.
The retailer will open a new fulfillment center in Kansas City, Kansas by the end of 2016. The 855,000-sq.-ft. facility, the second large-sized fulfillment center Amazon has announced within a span of four months, will create more than 1,000 full-time roles. In addition to this center and an upcoming facility in Edgerton, Amazon has existing Kansas facilities in Lenexa.
“We are thrilled to continue investing in Kansas, proud of our ability to create great jobs, and most importantly, excited to better serve our customers throughout the Midwest,” said Akash Chauhan, Amazon’s VP of North American operations. “Together with the addition of the Kansas City and the Edgerton fulfillment centers, there will be 2,000 new Amazon jobs in Kansas and none of this would be have been possible without the support we’ve received from state and community leaders.”
Employees at the center will pick, pack, and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys.
Amazon has been actively unveiling additions to its supply chain infrastructure in recent months. The company plans to open a facility in Braselton, Georgia, two fulfillment centers in Edwardsville, Illinois, and also recently announced it would open its sixth Texas fulfillment center in Dallas, as well as two new fulfillment centers in New Jersey, in Florence and Carteret, and also in the cities of Tracy and Eastvale, California. Amazon is further planning a new technology development center in downtown Minneapolis that will focus on logistics. The retailer reportedly operates nearly 100 fulfillment centers across the U.S.
The e-tail giant has also announced it will open a staffed, 2,200-sq.-ft. physical pickup location on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in fall 2016. The first Amazon pickup location in the state of Illinois, Amazon@Illinois offers the campus community location to pick up and return Amazon orders.
Amazon Prime members will receive free same-day pickup for orders placed by noon and free one-day pickup for orders placed by 10 p.m. Students can sign up for an Amazon Prime Student membership and get a six-month free trial followed by 50% off the regular price of Prime.
“Amazon@Illinois will offer students a pickup location centrally located on campus to easily get their merchandise ordered through Amazon,” said Ripley MacDonald, director of Amazon Student Programs. “We are thrilled to offer the Urbana-Champaign community more opportunities to save on their overall costs along with great customer service, better selection and convenience.”
Since 2015, Amazon has opened staffed pickup locations at the following universities: Purdue University; University of Massachusetts Amherst; University of California, Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania; The University of Texas at Austin; and University of California, Davis; as well as in the college communities of University of California, Santa Barbara; University of Cincinnati; and University of Akron.
Amazon will also open more locations in 2016, including: The Georgia Institute of Technology and California State University, Long Beach, and in the college communities of University of Connecticut and Texas Tech University.