Amazon is Coming to London
Since Amazon have been under attack for their tax practices they have been undertaking a rapid expansion that has seen a number of new facilities opening up around the US. The expansion is not confined to America however, with the company declaring that they are going to open a new facility in London.
Amazon have said that the new facility will be a digital media development center. The new center will aim to capitalize on the UKs pioneering on-demand services that allow people to rent films and watch TV over the web.
It is a common sense move as both of Amazon's current on-demand services were founded in London. LoveFilm and Pushbutton have proved to the company that the UK is a fitting place for further development of such services.
The retail giant has taken an eight-story, 47,000 square foot office near Barbican tube station, and close to the technology hub around Old Street, dubbed "TechCity" or "Silicon Roundabout".
Paula Byrne, the center's managing director, said: "I wouldn't underplay the value that the UK has brought to this sector. When you look at the specialist skills that are available here, it is the obvious place to come."
"Innovation is part of the Amazon DNA and we are creating a center of excellence to design and develop the next generation of TV and film services for a wide range of digital devices," Ms Byrne said.
It is not clear yet how many employees the center will have, but all existing employees from LoveFilm and Pushbutton will migrate to the facility next week.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson supported the move, saying it's another "feather in our cap", and he hoped that the presence of the industry heavyweight would encourage other technology companies to move to the area.
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