A new Amazon “fulfilment” centre in Leeds would eventually create more than 2,000 jobs, the online retailer has said.

The £500m development at the Gateway 45 logistics park next to the M1 is the 31st distribution site Amazon has opened in the UK, and is only 10 miles from a Wakefield base that opened in 2022.

The company said it planned to recruit HR, IT, compliance and finance staff as well as warehouse workers who would pick and pack customers’ orders.

Mandy Ridyard, business adviser to the Mayor of West Yorkshire, said the move was a “fantastic vote of confidence” for Leeds.

She said: “I’m delighted that thousands more new jobs will be created for people throughout our communities, as we work to build a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.”

The three-floor fulfilment centre near Rothwell uses advanced technology to pick, pack and ship orders.

Amazon’s regional director Richard Thompson said the site would take the total workforce in the region to more than 4,000 people.

He said: “West Yorkshire is an important region for Amazon, with more than 3,800 small and medium-sized selling partners, and I am delighted to confirm our ongoing commitment.”

West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce chief executive James Mason welcomed the creation of new jobs.

He said: “This further, significant investment from Amazon is a confirmation of our strategic location for the logistics industry as a whole, and a ringing endorsement for the strength and skillset of the workforce in our region.”

Amazon said it had invested more than £56bn in the UK since 2010.

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