Amazon wants to open one hundred logistics hubs in the United States and Canada before the end of this month. To do so, the retail giant is looking for as many as a hundred thousand new warehouse workers.
Amazon was busy during the corona crisis. Consumers bought more online, increasing the e-tailer's sales by 40 per cent to $88.9 billion. Amazon posted a record profit of $5.2 billion in the second quarter, double that of the previous year.
Jeff Bezos' company is therefore expanding substantially in the United States and - to a lesser extent - in Canada. This month, it is opening a hundred new fulfilment centres, sorting centres and delivery stations. One hundred thousand full-time and part-time warehouse workers are being flown in for this purpose. The giant is also looking for 33,000 office and technology workers. Last week, Amazon organised an online job fair to recruit new staff.
Department stores as hubs
Amazon may be using department stores as logistics hubs. The company is in talks with Simon Property Group, according to Forbes. This real estate company owns 11 vacant department stores from the bankrupt Sears chain and 63 branches of JCPenney. Amazon is reportedly eyeing some of these properties as distribution hubs.
Logistics activities France
On this side of the ocean, in France, the e-tailer experienced some tough months. The court in France ruled that Amazon did not adequately protect its logistics staff from infection with the corona virus. The e-tailer was only allowed to ship essential goods. Amazon deemed the risk of a (billion-dollar) fine too high and decided to completely halt its logistics operations for a month, sending its 10,000 employees on paid leave. In mid-May, Amazon reopened its French distribution centres.
