Amazon is set to close down one of its fulfilment centers, affecting 590 jobs. The company is in talks to shut its Milton Keynes site, the first Amazon center established in 1998. Affected employees will have the option to move to the new Amazon facility in Northampton or to other locations.
The upcoming Northampton building, costing £500 million, is slated to open in May and will initially employ 1,400 individuals, with plans to increase the workforce to 2,000. The Amazon sortation center in Milton Keynes, a separate division of its logistics operation, remains unaffected by the closure plans.
An Amazon representative mentioned that they constantly assess their network to align with business requirements and enhance the experience for employees and customers. The company is proposing the closure of the Milton Keynes fulfillment center and offering affected staff the opportunity to shift to the new state-of-the-art Northampton site or to other Amazon facilities. Supporting their employees throughout this transition is their primary focus.
In other news, Amazon has commenced drone flight testing as part of its UK aerial delivery service scheduled for launch in 2026. The limited drone flights have begun from their base in Darlington, with plans to provide a drone delivery service for customers in the future. Eligible Amazon customers in Darlington will eventually receive packages weighing less than five pounds within a two-hour timeframe.
The drone technology has been designed to operate quietly, with noise levels comparable to traditional van deliveries. As the drones descend for delivery, they use onboard systems to avoid obstacles such as clotheslines or trampolines that might not be visible on satellite maps. Additionally, the drones are equipped with perception technology powered by advanced machine learning models to identify various objects and navigate the airspace safely.
Amazon is working closely with Darlington Council and the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure a smooth drone delivery service launch in 2026.