(New York, NY) — And you thought Amazon was done with surprises. This past week—this past Friday—Amazon announced to everyone in the industry that it has just acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. Well, here’s another surprise. News arrived that Amazon will build a fulfillment center to get New York City and its boroughs their purchases in the fastest manner possible. So maybe we New Yorkers will be able to get the latest Kindle or that over-the-door hanger in a day.
PRIME ALREADY SHINES
Already a powerhouse when it comes to shipping, Amazon’s products are already listed as being free of shipping if you become a member of Amazon Prime. Now it looks like the retail giant will get an even faster way to get their orders to their customers, perhaps even lower in time in consideration of their free two-day guaranteed offering in place now.
COMPETITION
The move is unlike Barnes&Noble’s addition of same-day delivery of its books; if you order early in the day, you are guaranteed to get what you ordered by night, but only if you live in Manhattan proper. Since it worked for B&N, analysts are sure that the development of a warehouse here will be able to replicate B&N’s one-day delivery at the same time that they can better it or improve it.
WHAT WILL AN AMAZON FACILITY STORE?
This fulfillment center will be one of the largest warehouses to open up. The center plans to span nearly one million square feet on the west shore of Staten Island, allowing Amazon customers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island to get their products delivered as fast as humanely possible. This new facility is being bandied about as a warehouse to hold larger items, not toothpaste, but things that are expensive to ship. Since Amazon will have a nearby warehouse where they can keep big products like bicycles, kayaks, appliances and furniture, the turnaround time for delivery will be much quicker and faster.
The New York Post revealed this mega-real-estate deal. Amazon, which is headed by business visionary Jeff Bezos, plans on building the facility as fast as it can. This hub in New York could be costly, and it has not just sprouted up recently. A long way of dealing with state officials over taxes has always put a dent in Amazon’s plans, although the ridiculously-high real estate location of the hub has also had an effect on whether Amazon or not can afford it.
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
There will be four Staten Island warehouses built on an enormous lot, all being built by Matrix Development Group. It has been suggested that Amazon’s center will be the first to be built, but nothing has been said on the record. Steve Grillo, first vice president of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, is already thinking about statistics, the way the Amazon facility could create new jobs for 3,000 employees. However, Amazon called the facility “rumors and speculation.”
There is also a 161,400-square-foot distribution hub in Bethpage, LI, that’s dedicated to food deliveries, and in 2014, Amazon opened a 40,000-square-foot “Prime Now” hub, which allowed the company to ship perishables and necessities like toilet tissue paper in only a few hours using bike couriers.
BONUS
