Amazon expands presence in Southern US with two new massive warehouses
Two new warehouses of more than 800,000-sq-ft are being built in Arkansas and Texas
Amazon is expanding its presence in the heart of the southern United States, with two new massive fulfilment centres in Little Rock, Arkansas and Pflugerville, Texas.
Both of these warehouses, which measure 825,000 in the case of the Little Rock centre and 820,000-sq-ft for the Texas building, are scheduled to open in 2021.
Amazon said in press releases that both of these warehouses will use robotics systems, but it still believes that the sites will require more than 1,000 full-time staff each.
The Little Rock facility is to be situated in the Port of Little Rock on an 80-acre site Amazon purchased for $3.2 million. The building is set to be five stories tall.
The Pflugerville centre is situated on a strategic position near the I-35 highway and in between the major population centres of Austin, San Antonio and the Fort Worth-Dallas area.
Since 2010, Amazon said it has invested more than $10.5 billion into its local fulfilment-centre infrastructure in the state of Texas.
It’s not just super-centres that the retail giant is announcing either. Amazon is also planning a new 85,000 square-foot delivery station in Little Rock, which is anticipated to launch in late 2020. The delivery station is to aid Amazon’s last-mile delivery options, where goods will be transitioned between bulk transport from fulfilment centres down to delivery vehicles either owned by Amazon or part of its growing workforce of independent contractors.
“Little Rock’s geographical location with river, rail, road, and air access make it ideal to expand Amazon’s distribution throughout the South.,” said Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr
"Central Arkansas is quickly becoming a magnet for new economic development, this is due to continued investment in our infrastructure. I'm proud to lead a group of committed partners whose hard work has led to one of the largest companies in the world opening a new center in Pulaski County," said Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde. "Since we began planning industrial quality road and traffic infrastructure two years ago, we’ve attracted two international companies that are bringing new jobs to central Arkansas in large numbers."
“Pflugerville is a bustling area, and the addition of this fulfillment center with over 1,000 jobs shows that Pflugerville is the new frontier in Central Texas,” said Mayor Victor Gonzales. “Pflugerville’s connectivity via the SH 130 corridor is a prime location for business expansion.”