Amazon to Add Two Logistics Plants to Italian Network
MILAN — As store closures and confinement continue to spur online sales, Amazon is expanding its presence in Italy by opening two logistics hubs, both developed with sustainability in mind.
The e-tail giant is spending 230 million euros on the two additional centers, which are to start operations next fall. The units are expected to employ as many as 1,100 workers within three years of the launch.
Located in Spilamberto, in the Emilia Romagna region, and in Agognate, on the outskirts of Novara, in the Piedmont region, the complexes will serve as a sorting and a distribution center respectively. The mayors of the two cities both praised the company’s investments, stressing the importance of offering new jobs at a time when employment is a serious concern.
Stefano Perego, vice president of Amazon EU operations, said the company would provide its workers with good salaries and benefits, including bonuses, and safeguard their health, citing 150 measures that were implemented in the country across its facilities.
Last March, as the pandemic was spiraling, the e-tailer faced backlash for the alleged lack of strict safety measures — claims the company has rejected.
In keeping with the Climate Pledge cofounded last year by Amazon with Global Optimism and aimed at achieving the Paris Agreement’s goals of zero carbon emission 10 years before the 2050 deadline, both facilities were developed with a sustainable bent.
Additionally, Amazon will plant trees in both locations. In particular, the Agognate unit will welcome 1,500 new plants and an additional 11,000 trees to be planted over a nine-hectare area just outside the facility.
Amazon debuted in Italy in 2010 and has invested more than 5.8 billion euros in the country, creating around 8,500 new jobs.
Other plants in Italy include the urban logistics hub in Milan dedicated to the Amazon Prime Now service and the logistics centers in Passo Corese, about 25 miles far from Rome, and in Vercelli, in the Piedmont region.
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