A SUPPORT centre for online store Amazon is set to open in Barcelona, creating 500 new jobs over the next three years.
Online guidance and practical help will be provided for small and medium-sized businesses in south-western Europe who sell their wares on the versatile virtual shop – not just in Spain, but also in France and Italy.
Sellers through Amazon Marketplace can reach customers, potentially, worldwide, and deliveries and packaging of orders is fulfilled by Amazon itself as a guarantee for vendors and buyers.
This has allowed sole traders and small firms to 'go international', exporting their goods without having to bear the prohibitive logistics costs that companies of their size do not have the income or capital to stretch to.
At present, Amazon has Seller Support Hubs in South Africa, the Republic of Ireland, the USA, Germany and Slovakia, meaning Barcelona is strategically placed to serve Marketplace traders in Europe's south-western corner as it is geographically closest – and, effectively, will have a captive audience of three countries.
In Spain alone, tens of thousands of small firms used Amazon Marketplace last year to export products to a value of €200 million, and Barcelona has an existing and thriving network of businesses of this type, including start-ups and sole traders, which are 'especially dynamic and innovative', according to Amazon Spain and Italy managing director François Nuyts.
The Catalunya capital also boasts 'a great supply of international professionals of recognised talent', meaning it is an ideal spot to find the multi-lingual employees the new support hub needs.
Amazon Spain is growing fast, and has created over 1,000 jobs in five years in its corporate offices and logistics and technological centres in Madrid and Barcelona.
Two fast-delivery 'Amazon Prime Now' centres, one in each city, plus two transport and delivery centres in Castellbisbal and El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona province) and a third in San Fernando (Madrid) have all opened for business in just nine months, Nuyts reveals.
The photograph, taken by Amazon Spain, shows a virtual image of its logistics centre in El Prat de Llobregat.
