Abu Dhabi will be home to Amazon’s most technologically advanced fulfillment centre in the region. The launch of the centre is a part of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office’s (ADIO) programme to attract investment that drives innovation. Amazon is working to launch the facility in Abu Dhabi to drive innovation in the logistics sector, to support entrepreneurship and the growth of the retail ecosystem, and to create thousands of new job opportunities.
Expected to be launched by 2024, the new fulfillment centre comes as part of a wider collaboration between Amazon and ADIO which will also unlock job opportunities over the coming years, as well as provide support to help entrepreneurs, startups and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) thrive in the digital economy.
Russell Grandinetti, Senior Vice President, International Consumer, Amazon, said: “Driven by customer-obsession, innovation and long-term thinking, we are very proud to be working alongside the UAE leadership as we contribute to the nation’s accelerating digital economy and ambitious growth agenda. We look forward to partnering with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office to bring Amazon’s advanced logistics, technology innovations, sustainability initiatives and decades of expertise to the area.”
Following its successful and ongoing collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to launch cloud data centres in the UAE, ADIO continues to partner with Amazon to advance innovative and technological solutions in Abu Dhabi. ADIO creates an enabling environment for such partnerships and invests in strategic projects that promote an ecosystem of innovation.
H.E. Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said: “Abu Dhabi has established itself as the region’s innovation hub and as a nexus for pioneering technology and impactful solutions. The addition of Amazon’s new fulfillment centre further boosts the emirate’s ecosystem by introducing new capabilities and an enhanced infrastructure that deliver benefits to other businesses. As part of our commitment to creating opportunities for the private sector, ADIO will partner with and support innovation-driven companies to ensure their growth and success in Abu Dhabi.”
Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said: “Amazon is committed to working side-by-side with community partners to foster long-term innovation and our partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office demonstrates that commitment. A crucial part of our customer-centric culture is rooted in supporting small and medium-sized businesses. This new expansion helps us increase our delivery capabilities and speed, and support a wide range of sellers who offer a rich selection to our customers. We are well-positioned to accelerate their entrepreneurial journey and aspire to help our independent partners grow to their full potential by providing them with logistics, programmes and resources to seamlessly scale their businesses online.”
Driving innovation
Abu Dhabi has established itself as a testing ground for innovation, combining advanced infrastructure and ecosystem support in an enabling environment. This makes it a natural fit for Amazon’s advanced fulfillment centre.
Leveraging 25 years of Amazon’s cutting-edge logistics innovation and technology expertise, the fulfillment centre will use the latest in machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimise operational efficiency, reduce delivery times and provide an exceptional customer experience. The company believes in constantly inventing on behalf of customers to make life easier and to support the communities where it operates.
Supporting economic development The new fulfillment centre will contribute to the development of Abu Dhabi’s economy, creating thousands of jobs for UAE talent over 10 years and enabling SMBs selling on Amazon to reach more customers. This includes positions for people with all kind of experience, education, background and skills – from entry-level to expert profiles – all eligible for Amazon’s highly competitive pay offering, benefits from day one, and training programmes for in-demand jobs.
Entrepreneurs, startups and SMBs can leverage Amazon’s logistics capabilities to reach new customers and grow their own businesses. As part of the collaboration with ADIO, Amazon will provide dedicated seller training to Abu Dhabi SMBs per year for 10 years, in addition to running retail-awareness sessions to encourage entrepreneurship.
Amazon has invested USD 18 billion worldwide in selling partner success last year. The company offers a wide range of free tools and services such as the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and the Seller Mobile App to help entrepreneurs, startups and SMBs grow their sales on Amazon stores, in addition to providing online selling guidance, education and support for online selling.
Committed to sustainability
As part of Amazon’s global vision to be net zero carbon across all its business by 2040, the fulfillment centre will be built in accordance with the company’s carbon reduction strategies, consistent with Estidama methodology and ADIO’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Policy. The building will incorporate climate-friendly design concepts, control systems, data and analytics, to improve energy efficiency and reduce embodied carbon in construction. The building will also have a solar rooftop to generate on-site renewable energy and will be designed to accommodate zero-emission vehicles as Amazon seeks to reduce carbon emissions from transportation.
The new fulfillment centre will be a testament to Amazon’s commitment to grow sustainably in the region, as outlined in the company’s MENA sustainability roadmap. Launched earlier this year, the roadmap supports the UAE’s ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
ADIO’s ESG Policy sets out its requirements for organisations it partners with to ensure that sustainability and governance outcomes are at the core of projects ADIO supports, and to contribute to the UAE’s ESG goals.
