Amazon is building a robotics fulfillment center in North Carolina, which is set to open in 2026.
The 650,000 sq ft location will employ over 1,000 staff members focused on picking, packing, and shipping customer orders.
The new center aims to improve delivery speed, as well as enhance local economic growth in the area.
Holly Sullivan, vice president of worldwide economic development at Amazon, said: “North Carolina has proven itself to be a great place for Amazon to do business and gives us the opportunity to better serve our customers in the region.
“We are excited about our growth in Wilmington and are committed to creating a positive economic impact by bringing more than 1,000 job opportunities with great pay and comprehensive benefits to the local community.”
This development aligns with the company’s plans to focus on optimizing its fulfillment and shipping process, which was shared in a Q4 2024 earnings call.
Andy Jassy, Amazon’s CEO, said: “Since we’ve been pretty substantially integrating robotics into our fulfillment network over the last many years, we have seen cost savings, we’ve seen productivity improvements, and we’ve seen safety improvements.”
As part of its turnaround plans, the company has restructured its operations, recently consolidating its Amazon Fresh grocery stores and Amazon Go convenience stores in an effort to streamline unnecessary roles in the company.
Additionally, it shuttered two of its Amazon Fresh stores after a review of the fleet’s performance.
The ecommerce giant was recently ranked the most-visited retailer in the US, with 83% of households making at least one purchase in the past year, according to a Numerator report.
Construction on the new location will began in the fall.
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