Pure play e-tailer Amazon is to open a new global centre in London, it has been announced.
A digital media development centre will be used by the design & development teams behind Amazon-owned companies LoveFilm and Pushbutton and will be based in Glasshouse Yard, near the Barbican tube station.
Development engineers, user-interface experts and graphic designers will work on TVs, games consoles, laptops and smartphones in the aim of developing Amazon‘s digital media experience strategy.
Commenting on the opening of the eight-floor, 47,000 sq ft centre, Paula Byrne, Managing Director of the Centre in London, said: “London is a hotbed of tech talent and testament to that fact is Amazon choosing the capital as the location for the new global Digital Media Development Centre.
“Innovation is part of the Amazon DNA and we are creating a British centre of excellence to design and develop the next generation of TV and film services for a wide range of digital devices.”
Earlier this month, Amazon was voted the top UK consumer brand in the Brand Index bi-annual league table by market research agency YouGov which measures consumer perceptions of quality, value, customer satisfaction, corporate reputation, general impression and how highly customers would recommend the company.
The Seattle-based e-tailer has announced this expansion days ahead of the much-anticipated Olympic Games, which retailers across the country are hoping will boost footfall and encourage sales.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson believes that the opening highlights the capital‘s strong position within the growing e-commerce world.
“I am thrilled to welcome Amazon‘s fantastic new international digital centre to London,” he said.
“For this wildly successful and dynamic company to choose our city to site such an important facility is a splendid feather in our cap.
“We know we have the talent, the space and infrastructure to make the most of the digital economy – this will be my prime message during Games-time, as I seek to woo even more companies for the capital, delivering jobs and growth for Londoners.
“Amazon‘s investment propels us well up the league table of global tech cities and we thank them for their vote of confidence.”
