Note Amazon’s growing local footprint as it opens 4 new delivery centers in Greater Philadelphia

If you’ve ever wondered how Amazon can get packages to you in a day or less, note the ecommerce giant’s regional footprint.

Amazon can claim “a tad more than 13 million square feet between expansive fulfillment centers and last-mile distribution facilities” in the Greater Philadelphia area, according to Philadelphia Business Journal reporting earlier this year. Throughout Pennsylvania, it has 14 fulfillment centers, and a 1 million-square-foot distribution center in Berks County.

Jeff Bezos’ company announced today that it plans to open four new delivery stations in the Philadelphia area in 2021. Delivery stations are an integral part of the Amazon delivery system, as they are the last stops for packages to go after they leave the company’s fulfillment and sortation centers, and before they get to customers’ front doors.

These four centers are expected to create more than 1,000 full-time and part-time jobs paying at least $15 per hour, a spokesperson said, and employees will receive benefits such as health insurance.

The spokesperson couldn’t provide a current region-specific headcount, but reports that the company has brought more than 25,000 full- and part-time jobs to Pennsylvania since 2010.

Here’s where the new centers will be based:

• 1103-1113 Ridge Park, Conshohocken
• 53 West Germantown Pike, East Norriton
• 2900 Grant Ave., Philadelphia
• 700 Ramona Ave., Philadelphia

In a statement, Major Jim Kenney expressed support for the global merchant’s expansion in the area.

“We are proud to partner with Amazon as they expand their footprint in Philadelphia,” he said. “The new Amazon Delivery Station will bring additional jobs, revenue and growth to our communities. This is a great win for our local workforce, entrepreneurs, and our residents.”

The four delivery centers are the latest efforts in the company’s Pennsylvania expansion: Earlier this year and in 2020, Amazon also opened five other delivery stations in Philadelphia, Bensalem and Levittown. The moves come after the pandemic prompted an explosion of ecommerce activity, as consumers shopped online rather than in stores.

This expansion news also comes a week after Amazon was at the center of a national discussion about whether or not its warehouse workers should have union rights. As the second-largest private employer in the United States, Amazon counts more than 800,00 workers nationwide — some of which have argued the company hasn’t kept them safe during COVID-19, and reported urinated in bottles in order to make deliveries on schedule. (Company reps have denied these claims.)

In 2018, Philadelphia was a finalist for — but ultimately failed to attract — Amazon’s vaunted HQ2 project, prompting discussion within the local tech ecosystem about whether the company’s entrance as a major tech employer would help or hurt the city.

Michael Butler is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.