Festive jobs boost as Amazon to recruit 1,000 staff
Online retailer Amazon will take on 1,000 workers at its distribution centre in the region this Christmas.
Bosses are now recruiting temporary staff for the base in Rugeley to cope with the busy seasonal period.
Amazon is booming as shoppers move away from the high street to buy online, and Christmas is one of its busiest times of year.
Cannock MP Aidan Burley today said he was delighted.
"Rugeley is an area that desperately needs jobs," he said. "So I am happy to hear that Amazon is investing in our area and it is continuing to take off. It is exactly what the town needs.
"With about 2,300 people on Job Seekers Allowance in our constituency, it will make a big dent in this. It will be a big boost for people looking to find work locally over the festive period."
The online retailer opened its huge base at Towers Business Park, measuring 700,000 sq ft, last September and brought 900 jobs along with it. Goods, including DVDs, computer games and e-book readers, are boxed up ready for distribution across the country.
It was announced as one of the 17 centres to be built worldwide as part of Amazon's ambitious growth plans.
A jobs fair for the seasonal positions was taking place in Burton today at The Pirelli Stadium between 10am and 3pm.
Last year, around 1,700 positions were created to cope with the festive rush at the Rugeley warehouse.
Earlier this month is was revealed that Amazon would be creating another 2,000 jobs nationwide by opening three new distribution centres. The first one will be in Hemel Hemstead, with the other two opening within the next two years.
