Amazon halfway to opening Leduc County warehouse Anna Junker
Amazon is gearing up for completion of its second fulfilment centre in Alberta.
Located at the Border Business Park in Leduc Country — nearby the Edmonton International Airport and just off the Queen Elizabeth II Highway — the one-million-square-foot facility will handle larger customer items such as outdoor equipment, bicycles and patio furniture.
“The primary factor in choosing a location is our need to be closer to the customer,” said Vibhore Arora, regional director of Amazon operations during a sneak peek event of the facility Tuesday.
“We’ve had a phenomenal response in Alberta last year with our Calgary fulfilment centre so this is just an expansion of that growth we’re seeing in the province.”
The project currently employs about 100 construction workers and is expected to increase to about 250 by the final construction phase.
Once open, Arora said the facility will create 600 jobs.
“We’re going to start with 600 jobs but over a period of time the numbers we’ve seen as customer demand increases, they will just continue to go up,” said Arora.
Economic Development, Trade and Tourism Minister Tanya Fir said investments from Fortune 500 companies like Amazon not only create jobs but also provide a boost to the economy.
“The construction phase of the fulfilment centre alone is expected to inject an estimated $37 million in GDP to our economy,” said Fir.
“It will generate another $54 million of GDP per year. That’s a big deal for Leduc and the greater Edmonton region.”
Leduc County Mayor Tanni Doblanko said Amazon’s presence will yield significant immediate and long-term benefits to the area.
“We know that will bolster not only the local economy, but will positively impact the future sustainability of Leduc County and the entire metropolitan region,” said Doblanko.
“The economic spinoffs will be plentiful and substantive providing many direct and indirect opportunities for local and small businesses to serve not only the staff and employees at Amazon but also the million-square-foot facility.”
Construction is expected to be completed by spring 2020.