(supersedes previous)Amazon is set
to invest 150 million euros in a new distribution center in the
village of Passo Corese 30 kilometers from Rome, the firm
announced Friday.
The announcement came as Italian Premier Matteo Renzi
lunched with Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos at Florence city
hall, which is housed in the 13th-century Palazzo Vecchio (Old
Palace) and then gave him a personal tour of the city's
architectural jewel.
Amazon said in a statement the move to open what will be
its second distribution center in Italy is "to satisfy growing
demand in Italy".
Its new 60,000-square-meter warehouse slated to open in fall
2017 will "stimulate the local economy" and is expected to
employ 1,200 within the first three years of operations, Amazon
said.
The company said it has invested over 450 million euros and
created over 1,000 new permanent full-time jobs since it began
operating in Italy in 2010.
Also on Friday, Amazon announced it is opening a new
research and development center in Turin by the end of 2016. The
focus will be on developing the artificial intelligence of its
Echo voice-enabled wireless speaker, which responds to the name
Alexa.
Ten researchers are expected to be hired shortly, the
company said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA