Amazon plans another Czech logistics centre
The global e-commerce giant Amazon is planning to build another logistics facility in the Czech Republic. In addition to an existing returns centre and a large warehouse whose construction began last week, Amazon is also looking to build another facility in Central Bohemia, the daily E15 reports.
The online retailer already operates one such facility at the same site. A reverse logistics centre which serves as a distribution hub for goods returned by shoppers opened last year in Dobrovíz, central Bohemia. It has an area of 25,000 square meters, and employs around 1,000 workers.
Amazon was also considering building a similar logistics centre outside the Czech Republic’s second city Brno but those plans were scrapped over issues with zoning and construction permits.
But the business daily E15 reported on Monday that the global company was not put off by Brno’s resistance, and is planning to build its third facility in the country – another large returns centre in central Bohemia.
Quoting unspecified “reliable sources”, the daily said that Amazon’s latest Czech project should be located in an industrial zone in Pavlov near Prague’s international airport and the R6 motorway connecting Prague with western Bohemia.
According to the report, the developer Panattoni, which worked with Amazon on the previous two locations, has expressed interest in acquiring a project to build seven large warehouse halls in the Pavlov zone with a total area of 131,000 metres.
Amazon’s director for European operations Tim Collins, who spoke to the paper, did not confirm the report but said the Czech Republic could possibly host another Amazon distributions centres.
“The Czech Republic is a great market for us for various reasons. It has very good infrastructure, good labour base and it’s close to our existing markets,” Collins told the E15 daily. If the project goes ahead, Amazon could eventually employ around 12,000 people in the Czech Republic, according to the report.
Despite Amazon having chosen the Czech Republic as its regional logistics hub, the retailer is yet to start directly selling to clients in the country. Shipments to the Czech Republic are available from its US, UK and German-based operations but Tim Collins said no date had been set for the launch of the firm’s Czech branch.
