Amazon Flex to occupy Melbourne Airport Business Park
Amazon Australia has leased a 330 square metre warehouse at Melbourne Airport Business Park in Tullamarine.
The space is for Amazon Flex – a business launched in January in Melbourne and Sydney.
Similar to the way Uber employs riders to transport people and food, the app-based enterprise allows individuals with a vehicle to sign up and choose a time that they can deliver parcels.
The Melbourne Airport property will be a point these parties receive packages.
A background verification process is undertaken for partners which, according to Amazon Australia, ‘”will know the estimated duration and minimum payment for each block in advance, and will receive payments weekly by direct deposit”.
“With visibility of how much they will be paid for a block before they accept it, delivery partners ensure their time on the road is well spent,” Amazon Australia director of Operations, Craig Fuller added.
“As customer demand and delivery needs continue to grow in Australia, Amazon Flex gives us the agility to supplement the work we do with our existing carrier partners so we can speed up delivery times and respond to peaks in demand,” the executive said.
Melbourne Airport Corporation has been developing the business park – and other real estate investments – on land at the edges of its 2663 hectare facility, about 22 kilometres north west of the city.
The URBNSURF wave pool last year swallowed the former Melbourne Airport Club in Melrose Drive.
It is expected longer-term part of the airport will make way for a major shopping centre (last March, MAC unveiled plans for a 15,000 sqm extension containing retail at its T2 International facility).
MAC started building a dual branded hotel it will retain near T3 last year, too.
A train depot linking to the city, possibly via Sunshine, is also in planning.
Amazon began trading in Australia in mid-2017.
In July of that year it set up a fulfilment centre within a Pellicano owned ex-Bunnings distribution complex at Dandenong South – about 63kms across town from Melbourne Airport.
It later set up similar facilities in Sydney and Perth.
Itself finding its own retail model, the group has been opening bricks and mortar stores in recent years.
But it is still predominantly ecommerce based, selling 125 million products across 29 categories and operating about 80 of its own brands.
Last August it launched a program called Launchpad in Australia to help local start-ups and entrepreneurs.
