We’ve added 10,000 new permanent roles and 20,000 seasonal positions to our team to help get you your items on time. The wellbeing and safety of all of our employees continues to be our top priority, which is why we have made more than 150 process changes to create safe workplaces and are providing in-house COVID-19 testing for our UK employees.
You can meet some of our new colleagues and learn more about how we’re preparing for the festive season, as well as apply for the jobs we’ve created across the UK. We’re proud of the work our teams have been doing during this difficult time, and we will continue to invest and create jobs and opportunities in communities across the country.
Many of our small business partners are telling us how important it is for them to be able sell online right now, and we’re doing everything we can to support them and help you discover their products. More than half of the items sold on Amazon.co.uk are from third-party sellers, who are mostly small and medium-sized businesses. During Prime Day last month, small businesses like Gamely Games in Brighton and Niré Beauty in Newcastle had one of their biggest ever day of sales on Amazon.
Thousands of small businesses on Amazon export to customers around the world, and small businesses on Amazon have created over 85,000 jobs. We’re supporting UK-based small businesses with the Amazon Small Business Accelerator, providing 200,000 of these companies with free training on a variety of topics to help them sustain and grow their businesses, and we’re waiving the first three months of subscription fees to help businesses who want to sell their products online. You can discover products from a wide range of small businesses on Amazon here.
Small businesses also feature in our new Climate Pledge Friendly programme, which helps you discover and shop for products with sustainability certifications. Manchester-based Faith in Nature has championed sustainable, vegan and cruelty-free products since 1974. Kite Clothing is a planet-friendly clothing brand from Dorset that designs clothes for children and adults.
The Climate Pledge is our commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040. We’re on a path to running on 100% renewable energy by 2025, and have ordered more than 500 electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz to make customer deliveries in the UK.
Since the beginning of this crisis, we have worked to be part of the solution. While delivering for our customers every day, we’ve also been using our logistics capabilities to support communities across the UK.
We’ve delivered more than 4.5 million COVID-19 testing kits for the NHS and UK government free of charge, and we have extended our partnership with charity Magic Breakfast. Together, we will have delivered more than two million free breakfasts to children at risk of hunger by the end of December, and we are continuing to deliver healthy breakfasts throughout the school year, including during the school holidays.
Thank you for the kind words received throughout the year in appreciation of our colleagues working across the UK. We hope that you and your loved ones stay healthy and safe during the festive season.
Warm regards,
Doug Gurr
