Amazon In Talks To Set Up Shipping Center In Israel

November 26, 2017 | US commerce and tech giant Amazon is in talks to open a shipping center in Israel and may also launch operations targeting Israeli consumers, Calcalist reported on Sunday citing “people familiar” with the negotiations. Amazon seeks to open a warehouse of a minimum 270,000 square feet (over 25,000 square meters) probably near the city of Modi’in, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Amazon is currently studying the Israeli market and the shopping habits of Israelis, according to the report, which indicated that should the warehouse negotiations finalize, Amazon would set up a website for Israeli customers. Currently, Israelis ordering off Amazon pay expensive shipping fees and sometimes wait weeks for delivery. Amazon has been making inroads into the Israeli market in recent months, reportedly aggressively pursuing Israeli talent and poaching programmers from startups and other firms. Last month, it announced that it was opening two R&D centers in Israel to develop its Alexa Voice Shopping system.