Amazon warehouse

Amazon is rapidly growing its presence in the UK with a 14th fulfilment centre due to open in 2017.

The online giant said the new centre in Daventry, Northamptonshire, would help it meet growing customer demand and product range, as well as the 40% growth in independent businesses selling on its marketplace last year.

Amazon has announced plans for a number of new facilities in 2016, including two new fulfilment centres in Manchester and Leicestershire this autumn. This will take its total number of UK employees to more than 16,000 by December.

Next year, it will open an “advanced” fulfilment centre in Tilbury, Essex, employing 1,500 people and a centre in Doncaster employing 500.

When combined with the 300 employees set to work at the Daventry site, Amazon’s UK workforce should surpass the 18,000 mark.

Amazon says it has invested more than £4.6bn in the UK economy since 2010.