Amazon expands Scottish operation with promise of 900 more jobs

• First Minister Alex Salmond (centre) at the announcement today with Lena Wilson of Scottish Enterprise and Allan Lyall of Amazon. Picture: PA

The firm will bring 500 permanent and 400 temporary positions to a new customer service centre in Edinburgh.

The announcement in the capital today comes just months after Amazon unveiled plans for 950 full-time jobs in Scotland.

The new customer service centre in Edinburgh will open in August, a few months before Amazon's one million square foot fulfilment centre in Dunfermline.

It will handle customer queries and technical support for its popular Kindle e-book reader and mp3 music section.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Amazon is globally recognised as a leader in online retail and I am delighted that the company is expanding its Scottish operations with the creation of a new customer services centre in Edinburgh.

"Amazon has a substantial presence in Scotland and this announcement is testament to the quality, strength and skills of its Scottish workforce.

"This announcement reinforces and supports our message that Scotland is an attractive and competitive destination for major global companies to invest and do business."

Vice president of European operations and customer service at Amazon Allan Lyall said: "As our business continues to grow and we move into new areas like grocery, sports and clothing, our customer services support needs to expand as well.

"Edinburgh is an outstanding location, providing us with access to a highly-skilled workforce who will help us to achieve the high standards of customer service that shoppers at Amazon.co.uk expect.

Amazon was established in 1998 and offers a wide variety of products over the internet, including books, music, PC and video games.