Amazon Fulfillment Centers in Europe

For starters, let us focus on what Jeff Bezos has to say about Amazon.com…

According to Jeff Bezos, the founder, and CEO of Amazon.com, there are two kinds of retailers-the ones who work hard to raise prices and the ones who do the same to lower prices. Both these models could turn out to be successful. Bezos says that as far as Amazon.com is concerned, it relentlessly follows the second model.

Now that we have gained some insight into Amazon’s business policy, we will plunge right into the topic-the Amazon fulfillment centers in the European continent.

Before we proceed, we need to be crystal-clear on what exactly a fulfillment center is. So, check out the definition given below:

A fulfillment center is a storage space where orders are received, picked, and packed to be sent to the customers. The words “warehouse” and “fulfillment center” are used interchangeably. A fulfillment center has the duty of “fulfilling” customers’ orders and hence the name.

From a fulfillment center, the orders from a customer are processed and sent, to be directly delivered to that customer’s doorstep.

The work done in an Amazon fulfillment center can be categorized into the following 5 phases:

1. Unpacking and checking of the incoming goods

2. Storing the goods

3. Recording the locations of the goods on the systems

4. Gathering the products

5. Shipping the collected products

Fulfillment will also include accounting and processing of payments. Amazon has introduced a unique service known as FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon). This service has been specially designed for those retailers who wish to have everything from a single source.

Now, it would be good to know about Eurosender and how Amazon sellers and distributors make use of it.

Eurosender is a digital platform that offers postal and freight-forwarding services. Eurosender allows Amazon resellers and distributors to transport their inventory to an Amazon FBA in Europe. 

Amazon has over 175 fulfillment centers worldwide, and these centers occupy a total space of more than 150 million square feet. Most of these centers are distributed in Europe and North America. In all of these centers, several safety measures are followed for the Amazon employees' protection and well-being.

Amazon is currently operating several fulfillment centers in the continent of Europe. Most of these centers are situated in Germany. Next to Germany is the UK, where a large number of Amazon fulfillment centers are located.

In Europe, the centers operate from 29 countries. Next to Germany and the UK, there are many centers in France, Spain, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Amazon Fulfillment Centers in Germany:

Amazon has successfully established a significant place in Germany. The fulfillment network of Amazon Germany consists of 9 centers that are distributed in different locations. These centers are based in Graben near Augsburg, Leipzig, Werne, Rheinberg, Bad Hersfeld, Koblenz, Brieselang, and Pforzheim. Bad Hersfeld itself has two centers. These German locations have more than 11,000 people working in them. This massive number of employees indicates the high demand for Amazon products. 

In Germany and other countries, Amazon employs both skilled and unskilled workers.

Ordering goods on Amazon is done very easily and quickly, with the click of a button. Many customers do not know what happens in between placing an order and the delivery at their doorstep. 

Whenever a customer places an online order on Amazon.de (which is the German website), it will be sent to Germany’s fulfillment centers. In these centers, the goods will be logged. These goods will then go through various stages of processing. Finally, they will be packed and then shipped. Thus, any Amazon product will be taken through a number of stations before it lands in the customer’s hands.

Amazon Germany creates a lot of local jobs and shows much interest in its employees’ professional development.

Amazon Fulfillment Centers in the UK:

The British Amazon marketplace is a wonderful option for those online sellers who wish to begin selling their products in Europe. There is also a multitude of buyers who purchase goods from Amazon.co.uk. 

The Amazon.co.uk website is being operated by a Luxembourg-based entity, known as Amazon EU Sarl. This website provides its customers with a very easy and comfortable way to shop. Amazon.co.uk boasts about its low prices, excellent choice of goods, along with comprehensive product details.

Amazon fulfillment centers in the UK are distributed in London, Manchester, Staffordshire, Coalville, Northamptonshire, Doncaster, Birmingham, and many other regions.

In 2019, Amazon had more than 250 million unique products that were on Amazon.co.uk, and thisindicatingh by more than a hundred million in the previous 18 months. According to the website, this massive growth in selection could take place only with the support of the small as well as medium-sized UK businesses, which were selling their goods on Amazon.

Amazon has created several thousands of jobs and has invested many billions in the UK economy since the year 2010.

Amazon Fulfillment Centers in France:

Amazon.fr is one of the largest Amazon marketplaces in the European continent. The Amazon fulfillment centers in France are distributed in Loiret, Burgundy, Norde-Pas-de-Calais, and some other areas. 

In any fulfillment center located in France, the “pickers” take care of all the incoming orders, whereas the “stowers” handle the return shipments. Robots are now helping with all the picking and stowing, and this practice has minimized the long walks that the pickers and stowers have to take for the respective functions. The robots are ablecanoducts that weigh a maximum of 340 kg!

Some of the fulfillment centers in France were closed down for a short while owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was done to ensure its employees’ safety. They were then reopened.

So, we have seen the magnanimity of the Amazon fulfillment centers. What started as a small seller from a garage in Seattle has become a global company, with so many fulfillment centers distributed across Europe and other parts of the world.