Latest news with #JohnBoumphrey
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boost for Starmer as Amazon vows to invest £40bn
Amazon has pledged to invest £40bn Britain over the next three years in a vote of confidence in Labour's Britain. The online retail giant has set out plans to build four new delivery and fulfilment centres in the UK, including in Hull, Northampton and in the East Midlands, creating more than 4,000 jobs, and expand its nationwide network of delivery stations. The investment also includes a previously announced £8bn from Amazon Web Services, its internet infrastructure business, two new corporate offices in East London and the redevelopment of Bray Film Studios in Berkshire, which it acquired last year. John Boumphrey, Amazon's UK chief executive, said the investment was a 'bet on the UK' and said Labour's appeals to businesses had 'played a big role' in influencing its investment decisions. Labour has been attempting to woo global businesses and technology giants in an attempt to drown out concerns that rising taxes on National Insurance contributions for employers and new workplace rules are hurting Britain's competitiveness. The Prime Minister has promised to tear up red tape, simplify planning decisions and demanded that regulators focus on growth. 'We like what we see,' Mr Boumphrey said, adding that the Government had provided 'predictability' for investors. Sir Keir Starmer hailed the commitment as 'a massive vote of confidence in the UK'. It comes a day after No 10 published its new Industrial Strategy. Labour has also said it will spend hundreds of millions of pounds encouraging AI adoption and £2bn on data centres to underpin the technology. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, said Amazon's announcement was an 'endorsement of Britain's economic strengths' and insisted Labour was 'working hand-in-hand' with business. Andy Jassy, Amazon chief executive, said: 'When Amazon invests, it's not only in London and the South East – we're bringing innovation and job creation to communities throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.' The UK is Amazon's third largest market, behind the US and Germany, accounting for more than £30bn in sales last year, growing more than 12.5pc. Britain is home to some of Amazon's biggest film studios and a vast retail operation. Amazon, which employs 75,000 people in Britain, has promised to create more than 1,000 apprentices this year in the UK and earlier this month said it would join a government-backed scheme to train 7.5m UK workers in artificial intelligence (AI) skills by the end of the decade. The announcements come despite Mr Jassy warning that staff Amazon could cut employees in its corporate offices as AI advances make some roles obsolete. In a memo to staff last week, Mr Jassy said: 'It's hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Sign in to access your portfolio
Times
23-06-2025
- Business
- Times
Amazon invests $40bn in major UK expansion
Amazon will invest £40 billion in Britain over the next three years, including building four robotic fulfilment centres and refurbishing its film studios in Berkshire. The East Midlands will host one of the high-spec warehouse sites, there are two centres being planned for Northampton and Hull, which the company had already announced, and the location of the fourth warehouse has yet to be decided. With pay starting at £28,000 a year, 2,000 jobs will be created at each site by the expansion, which also involves the tech giant growing its vast London site into two further buildings that can house 1,500 people. John Boumphrey, Amazon's UK country manager, said: 'By spreading out across the UK, you can get deliveries to customers even faster. One of the big advantages of this investment is going to be that customers will get an increasing proportion of their deliveries available on the very same day.' The £40 billion figure includes part of a previously announced £8 billion spend to build, maintain and operate data centres by Amazon Web Services. Many companies are trying to tap into this growing market as demand for AI increases the need for digital infrastructure. Amazon is also refurbishing Bray Film Studios, which it bought last July for an undisclosed sum, to produce content for Amazon Prime. The second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was made there and a new season of the Russo brothers' spy series Citadel started filming in September. Boumphrey said: 'We've got a lease at Shepperton and we're currently filming in Manchester and Edinburgh and in Wales as well. There is a significant investment in being able to make, edit and produce films here, using British talent and British locations with British artists, which we are very excited about.' Amazon is one of the UK's top ten private employers with 75,000 members of staff, and is offering more than 1,000 full-time apprenticeship roles this year. Amazon has not always had an easy ride in this country, facing criticism over its safety record in its fulfilment centres; it also clashed with the GMB union over pay and conditions. The company has always rejected such claims. Andy Jassy, Amazon's CEO said: 'Amazon has been proud to serve our customers in the UK for the past 27 years. Thanks to their support, we've grown to be part of more than 100 communities nationwide, from developing drone technology in Darlington to producing world-class entertainment at our studios in Bray. 'When Amazon invests, it's not only in London and the southeast — we're bringing innovation and job creation to communities throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.' Sir Keir Starmer said: 'Amazon's £40 billion investment adds another major win to Britain's basket and is a massive vote of confidence in the UK as the best place to do business.' Amazon Web Services announced a $20 billion investment in Pennsylvania and a $10 billion in North Carolina to expand cloud infrastructure. It also made a $13 billion investment in Australian data centres last week.
Daily Mirror
11-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Amazon launches discount store 'to rival Temu' that shoppers can't wait to try
A new discount shopping service from Amazon that offers a wide variety of goods at a retail price of £20 or less could rival the likes of Temu and Wish after it was launched in the UK Amazon has launched a brand new service budget shoppers believe could be set to rival the likes of Temu. The smartphone-only service began trading in beta-testing mode last month, and will be rolled out fully in the coming weeks. Users can browse and buy now, however, simply by heading to the Amazon website and clicking 'Haul' just below the search bar. Named 'Amazon Haul', it allows users to shop for low-priced products across a variety of categories including fashion, home, and lifestyle using the Amazon Shopping app, operating in a similar way to online retailers such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress. TikTok user Si Rudge explained that after a successful trial in the United States, it has now launched in the UK and is "here to stay". "It's a service where you can get thousands and thousands of products for under £20," he hailed in a video. "Amazon says it is £2.99 per delivery if you spend under £15, but free if spending over this amount. "How awesome is that?" "It's really going to be the future of cheap products I think," he said. Announcing the new endeavour back in May, Amazon stated: "Amazon has always worked to provide customers with the widest possible selection, low prices, and a convenient shopping experience, and we offer hundreds of millions of products across more than 30 categories in the UK. "Building on this longstanding customer offer, and following the launch of Amazon Haul in the US last year, we are today introducing Amazon Haul in the UK – offering customers thousands of products for £20 or less, with the majority under £10 and some for as little as £1." The shopping experience, search, basket and checkout have all been designed to offer a "fun, engaging way to shop" on the app, with Amazon Haul advising that all orders will arrive in two weeks or less after being placed. The company's UK Country Manager, John Boumphrey, added in a statement: "We are constantly working to provide the best possible shopping experience for customers, and this is another way to offer low prices on a wide selection of products. "Now more than ever we know our customers are looking to save, and we're excited to provide more options through the shopping app they already know and love." Amazon Haul launched in the US in November 2024, with the company immediately declaring its plans to roll out the platform "in Europe (including the UK and Germany) and the Middle East (as Amazon Bazaar in Saudi Arabia)". Temu, meanwhile, was founded in Massachusetts in 2022, stating it is "committed to bringing affordable products onto its platform to enable consumers and sellers to fulfil their dreams in an inclusive environment."
Fashion Network
29-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Amazon launches Haul in UK in response to Shein and Temu
While the French Parliament is about to vote on the anti-fast-fashion bill, and the EU plans to tax small parcels inbound from China, Amazon is gearing up to join the fray in Europe. The US group is trialling in the UK Amazon Haul, a site launched in the US at the end of 2024 as a response to Shein and Temu. Haul is offering UK consumers several tens of thousands of products priced below £20, the majority of them actually below £10, and some with prices as low as £1. Delivery costs £2.99, and is free on orders from £15. Fashion and beauty are heavily represented within the assortment on offer, being five of the nine categories available on Amazon Haul, which is a mobile-only site. Besides womenswear, menswear and beauty, Haul also features sportswear and accessories. The range includes plenty of tops and skirts at £5, dresses at £7, and trousers at £13. 'This is another way to offer low prices on a wide selection of products,' said John Boumphrey, country manager UK at Amazon, adding that 'now more than ever we know our customers are looking to save, and we're excited to provide more options through the shopping app they already know and love.' Just as Shein says it's 'democratising fashion', Amazon is justifying Haul with giving consumers access to a wider range of products. Amazon Haul's low prices stem from Chinese producers selling directly on the site, using the US group's own warehouses on the eastern coast of China. Deploying Haul in Europe could also be a cunning way for Amazon to circumvent the new tariffs imposed by the US administration on the Chinese products sold on the low-cost site, for which Europe could be an alternative outlet. Last year, Amazon generated revenue of $638 billion, up 11%, and its net income increased by 95% to reach $59.2 billion.
Fashion Network
29-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Amazon launches Haul in UK in response to Shein and Temu
While the French Parliament is about to vote on the anti-fast-fashion bill, and the EU plans to tax small parcels inbound from China, Amazon is gearing up to join the fray in Europe. The US group is trialling in the UK Amazon Haul, a site launched in the US at the end of 2024 as a response to Shein and Temu. Haul is offering UK consumers several tens of thousands of products priced below £20, the majority of them actually below £10, and some with prices as low as £1. Delivery costs £2.99, and is free on orders from £15. Fashion and beauty are heavily represented within the assortment on offer, being five of the nine categories available on Amazon Haul, which is a mobile-only site. Besides womenswear, menswear and beauty, Haul also features sportswear and accessories. The range includes plenty of tops and skirts at £5, dresses at £7, and trousers at £13. 'This is another way to offer low prices on a wide selection of products,' said John Boumphrey, country manager UK at Amazon, adding that 'now more than ever we know our customers are looking to save, and we're excited to provide more options through the shopping app they already know and love.' Just as Shein says it's 'democratising fashion', Amazon is justifying Haul with giving consumers access to a wider range of products. Amazon Haul's low prices stem from Chinese producers selling directly on the site, using the US group's own warehouses on the eastern coast of China. Deploying Haul in Europe could also be a cunning way for Amazon to circumvent the new tariffs imposed by the US administration on the Chinese products sold on the low-cost site, for which Europe could be an alternative outlet. Last year, Amazon generated revenue of $638 billion, up 11%, and its net income increased by 95% to reach $59.2 billion.
