Amazon has announced plans to invest more than €15 billion to expand its French operations between 2026 and 2028.

The investments will cover infrastructure spending and operating expenses, including the building of new logistics centres, investments in its existing network and the development of Amazon’s cloud and AI capabilities in the country.

The first tranche of investment will go towards constructing three distribution centres in the country, which Amazon said will create 5,000 permanent jobs.

The company said these investments will allow it to offer faster deliveries on a wider selection of products. Amazon added that it relies on what it calls cutting-edge AI to determine which products to stock where, reducing delivery times and travel distances for goods.

Amazon additionally claimed that these investments will directly benefit its employees in the country. It said that integration of AI and robotics technologies into existing logistics networks improve employee well-being and safety at its sites by freeing up time for employees to focus on higher-value tasks such as problem solving, quality control and process improvement.

In January, Amazon faced questioning before the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee to answer questions on its monitoring of workers, and two years before, it was fined €32 million by France’s data protection authority for “excessively intrusive” surveillance of employees.

"This investment plan of more than €15 billion carries a clear ambition: to be ever more useful to the French people and the French economy,” Jean-Baptiste Thomas, Amazon’s country manager in France, said. “This means faster deliveries, wider selection, and low prices accessible everywhere in France, all with a reduced environmental footprint through a proximity-based logistics network.

“These investments will directly benefit local communities, with more than 7,000 permanent jobs created, while allowing the French businesses that rely on our marketplace, technologies, and cloud and AI solutions to grow.”

He added that this was the company’s most significant commitment to France in over 25 years, and offers “tangible proof” of its confidence in the country’s economic and technological future.

---