ONLINE shopping giant Amazon has been linked with the huge depot site on the edges of Exeter that has been abandoned by Sainsbury's.
Plans for a giant Sainsbury's depot near the airport, which would have created more than 400 jobs, have been put on hold indefinitely after the retailer decided the 500,000 sq ft facility would not be needed in the near future.
The search is under way for an alternative occupier to take on some or all of the site, which has already been cleared in preparation for construction work.
Amazon currently has fulfilment centres in Swansea, South Wales; at Marston Gate, near Milton Keynes; Doncaster, Peterborough, Rugeley and Hemel Hempstead, as well as Dunfermline and Gourock in Scotland, where workers receive, pack and ship thousands of items every day.
As the American firm's sales continue to grow, some observers have suggested Amazon could look to open more depots in the UK, with the Exeter site now available and ideally situated to serve the South West.
But a spokeswoman for Amazon said the firm would not comment on rumour or speculation. East Devon District Council has vowed to work with Sainsbury's to ensure the site is developed for employment use.
A spokesman for the authority said: "We remain in touch with Sainsbury's but there are no fresh developments to report at this time."
Sainsbury's had not responded to requests for an update on the site at the time of going to press.
At nearly 10 times the size of the retailer's Alphington superstore, the proposed depot was due to serve 35 branches in the South West. It marked the first phase in the long-awaited Intermodal Freight Facility at the Exeter Gateway site – a key development in the Exeter & East Devon Growth Point along with Cranbrook, the Science Park and Skypark.
Announcing a review of the plans last month, Vince Prior, head of property investment for Sainsbury's, said since planning permission was granted, a significant amount of money had been invested in the site.
He added: "However, we are continually reviewing our logistics network to enable us to drive improved service to stores, support our business plans, increase efficiencies and deliver savings that will allow us to further invest in our customer offer. In light of this, we have concluded that there is no immediate requirement for a depot at this location at this time. Although this news is disappointing, our research shows that there could be future demand for a depot in this location.
"We are therefore currently working with East Devon District Council to review our options."
Derek Phillips, vice president of Exeter Chamber of Commerce, said: "We are disappointed that these promised jobs will not be coming as quickly as hoped for, but we still hope they will develop the site eventually and produce those jobs as they open more branches in the South West."
