Amazon to invest 1 billion euros in Belgium

Amazon plans to invest 1 billion euros in Belgium by 2027. The company wants to use the investments to "improve the customer experience," said Eva Faict, Country Manager for Amazon Belgium and the Netherlands.

Some of the funding will go towards infrastructure, and extra staff will be recruited for the Mechatronics department in Hamme, the company announced during a Belgian economic mission to California. The number of additional employees to be hired has not been disclosed. Amazon currently employs 400 people in Belgium. 

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Amazon also intends to start same-day parcel deliveries in Belgium, possibly within the next few months. Some of the funding will also be used to provide better support for SMEs selling their products on the Amazon platform. “They will have access to more data functionalities,” said Faict.

Faict also confirmed that Amazon intends to continue its partnership with bpost, the Belgian postal service. “They are our most important partner now and will remain so,” she said. “But same-day delivery requires investment in the logistics chain. Amazon Logistics will not do it alone, though. We are going to diversify."

Flywheel effect

Flemish minister-president Matthias Diependaele welcomed the announcement of the investment. “Amazon's decision to invest here is direct recognition of our innovative strength,” he said. 

"Their investment specifically focuses on robotics and mechatronics, precisely the advanced clusters that we, as the Flemish government, are already fully committed to. This creates a flywheel effect for our entire technology sector," said Diependaele.

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Diependaele also spoke positively about the opportunity that Amazon has offered Belgian SMEs since 2022 to sell their products via its platform. "It is pure export acceleration for our local companies", he said. Currently, Flemish companies generate an average of around 28 per cent of their turnover through e-commerce.

Federal minister for small businesses and SMEs, Eléonore Simonet, also highlighted this interesting opportunity. “We can see how this leverage can help local entrepreneurs strengthen their market presence and even expand beyond borders, enabling them to reach millions of customers throughout Europe and beyond,” she said.

^{Amazon's delivery centre in Antwerp, Belgium © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS}

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