THE construction of Amazon's enormous warehouse has been delayed and may now not open until next year, The Northern Echo understands.
The online retailer is in the process of building its latest 'Fulfilment Centre' off the A19 at the Wynyard Business Park near Stockton.
The site, which is expected to employ more than 1,300 permanent workers and hundreds of seasonal staff, will be the fourth Amazon warehouse in the North East.
Read more: How Teesside's first Amazon in Wynyard near Stockton is coming along
It had been originally tipped to become fully operational with the first customer parcels leaving the site by the end of this year.
However, a source close to the site suggested that is no longer the case due to the work still left to be completed, with the knock-on impact of the pandemic being a contributing factor.
In recent months, residents and passers-by on the A19 have watched as the warehouse has sprung up from a disused patch of land.
Read more: First pictures of Teesside's first 'Amazon' off A19 in Wynyard near Stockton
Towards the end of last year, just a shell could be seen from afar as the actual tenants of the site was not yet confirmed.
Recruitment for a select number of jobs at the new 'NCL2' warehouse appeared to go live in March.
However, no roles for so-called 'Fulfilment Associates' were being advertised, further suggesting the site was not yet in a position to start filling hundreds of vacancies.
In a statement to The Echo last night, the retailer refused to confirm or deny claims the project had been delayed, or when they expected to open.
An Amazon spokesperson said: “As we have said previously we look forward to sharing more information as the project progresses."
Within the past two years, Amazon has seen disused patches of land transformed into bustling warehouses across the North East.
It most recently opened a site at the Follingsby Max industrial estate in Gateshead, which followed on from successful openings at Integra 61 in Bowburn, near Durham and Symmetry Park in Darlington.
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