Amazon's new fulfillment center delayed opening

According to foreign media reports, Amazon's new fulfillment center in Detroit was originally planned to be officially put into use this year, but Amazon said it would postpone this time to next year.

The new fulfillment center in Detroit is located on the site of the former Expo site and was jointly developed and built for Amazon by developers from Detroit and Dallas.

The two real estate developers bought the land from the Detroit government for $16 million, but Amazon said it did not receive any tax breaks or subsidies from any local or state government.

Construction on the 3.8 million-square-foot building began in late 2020, and Amazon hoped the fulfillment center would be operational by the middle of this year so that its operations could reach peak efficiency by the 2022 holiday season.

In fact, the new fulfillment center has been built for several months, but Amazon said it adjusted the time for its commissioning.

Amazon spokesman Austin Stowe said that while the fulfillment center has begun "initial operations," we now hope to "officially" use the fulfillment center by 2023.

The spokesperson declined to disclose the reason for the delay in using the fulfillment center, nor did he say when the center would be officially put into use next year. He also remained silent on the specific content of "initial operations."

A Detroit official said Monday, "Given that the project started during the pandemic, we are not concerned about its delay. Amazon has made a huge investment and commitment to Detroit, and we look forward to the center officially opening next year."

Amazon's sales growth has slowed this year, and it has postponed plans to open several new warehouses in the United States, or even completely abandoned the construction of some warehouses. A logistics center in Lansing Delta Township, Michigan, which was originally scheduled to open this year, has been postponed to 2024, while the Amazon distribution center in Gaines Township has directly canceled its construction plan.

On the other hand, Amazon said it still plans to set up a new express delivery station in Pittsfield, Washtenaw County, although it has not yet given a specific start-up time.

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Fulfillment Center