Amazon opens first Sydney distribution centre

The 43,000sqm fulfilment centre — about the size of six football fields — at Moorebank in ­Sydney’s southwest is nearly twice the size of the group’s ­Melbourne facility, which opened at Dandenong in ­December.

Amazon says the centre at the Goodman Centenary Distribution Centre will allow the expansion of its offerings.

Amazon director of operations Robert Bruce says the new centre is a milestone for the group, allowing faster and more reliable delivery across more areas of the country.

The Sydney facility would bring new jobs to the local economy, the group said.

It would allow “thousands of small and medium-sized Australian businesses who use Fulfilment By Amazon on amazon.com.au with an opportunity to more easily access ­millions of customers across the country”, the company says.

Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller says there has been a positive response from the local community since Amazon ­announced it was coming.

“We look forward to having good jobs for people close to where they live and working with Amazon as a partner in the local community,” Waller says.

“We expect the Sydney fulfilment centre will become a key logistics hub thanks to its ­strategic position in Southwest Sydney.”

Last month Morgan Stanley warned Amazon’s new local Prime multimedia subscription service was set to take market share from leading Australian chains such as Bunnings, Kmart, Target, Big W and Harvey ­Norman.

Department stores were most exposed, Morgan Stanley said.

Prime is Amazon’s flagship subscription service and offers a suite of services such as music, e-books, movie and TV streaming as well as discounts on Amazon orders.

The service, which landed in Australia in June, has more than 100 million users worldwide.

Analysts have noted that Australia’s concentration of population in major capital cities will aid Amazon’s entry.

This article originally appeared on www.theaustralian.com.au/property.