Jeff Bezos’s Amazon will have to battle against banks to get Dublin offices
AMAZON has dismissed as “rumours and speculation” reports that it is seeking a new office in Dublin.
First reported by Bloomberg, the retail and cloud services giant is said to be searching for office space to accommodate up to 800 people.
Amazon may be looking for 80,000 square feet, said the newswire report, citing unnamed sources.
The tech giant employs over 2,500 people in Dublin, according to a company spokeswoman.
It is also seeking planning permission to build up to seven data centres in a €1bn investment plan for the Dublin suburb of Mulhuddart.
However, the data centres face objections from two people, including one of the objectors to Apple’s €850m data centre project for Athenry.
Amazon’s increasing dominance in the online-retail and cloud-computing sectors has left it seeking to expand its properties all over the world. In the US, it is running a contest between US cities for a second headquarters that will employ 50,000 people.
In documents published online, Amazon says that average salaries for the jobs will reach $100,000 (€84,700). The contest has seen cities scramble to put together financial and infrastructural incentives that might attract the company.
Chicago has assembled a 600-person committee, while Detroit’s largest landowner said that he will move tenants out to accommodate the technology giant.
Philadelphia authorities have promised to restructure their business tax regime while the mayor of Tulsa, in Oklahoma, said that the city will match any other tax proposals and exceed them.
“Whatever it takes,” said GT Bynum, Tulsa’s mayor.
The company’s potential move into a new Dublin office could be challenged by a lack of office space in the city’s premium office districts.
A recent report from estate agency Savills said that the vacancy rate for premium offices in prime areas of the city is less than 1pc. This is despite an overall office vacancy rate across Dublin of 9pc.
Amazon may also have to jostle with banks seeking to establish offices in Dublin as a recourse to Britain leaving the European Union.
Both JPMorgan Chase and Barclays Bank are expanding their corporate presence in Dublin.