Amazon opens first delivery centre in Flanders

A month after launching its Belgian Amazon website, the US e-commerce giant opened its first delivery centre in Antwerp on Thursday. The proximity of the port and the large number of consumers in the region were the deciding factors, Amazon said.

For now, the delivery centre is still quiet. "That will soon change as Christmas approaches," says manager Eva Faict. Amazon sells around 180 million products in more than 30 categories and "definitely wants to build and strong relationship with Belgian brands as well". For now, the American company lags behind regional competitors like Bol and Coolblue. 

Amazon's new delivery centre operates from the Blue Gate business park in the south of Antwerp and currently employs 43 people, a combination of permanent contracts and interim contracts. Around two hundred drivers work through courier companies.

The centre receives parcels from large sorting centres in France, Germany and other countries. In Antwerp, they are then sorted, and delivered by subcontractors to customers in the area. 

At the opening, minister-president of Flanders Jan Jambon highlighted the efforts the region has already made to attract e-commerce companies. "But there is still room for improvement," Jambon stated.

(TOM)

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