New Sutton Coldfield Amazon centre to create 1,400 jobs

The warehouse will use robotic shelving like these to help staff sort millions of items

A new Amazon warehouse in the West Midlands will create up to 1,400 jobs when it opens and that number could increase further over time.

The company said the robotic fulfilment centre at Peddimore, Sutton Coldfield, would open in the next three years.

It will focus on storing millions of smaller items which will sit waiting until they are purchased.

The West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, said the news was a "vote of confidence" for the region.

In a tweet he added: "Fantastic to see one of the world's biggest companies committing its future to the West Mids."

The Peddimore centre is one of two new robotic facilities announced by Amazon, with the other to be created at Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham.

The company said a fulfilment centre was the second step in its selling process, taking goods from vendors which initially arrived at one of its two large centres in Coventry and Doncaster.

The goods are then stored in the fulfilment centres until they are bought and transferred on to sorting and delivery centres.

The Peddimore centre will use robotic shelving to help staff store and then access the items and Amazon said this type of centre typically employed more staff than those without robots.

It said as well as sorting staff, it would be recruiting robotics engineers, technicians and other specialists.

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