Amazon launches one hour delivery service at depot in Fareham

And yesterday, The News had an exclusive peek inside internet giant Amazon’s new warehouse in Fareham.

The 16,000sq ft depot was packed full of staff busily preparing orders and getting them ready for delivery as part of the Amazon Prime Now service.

It has more than 15,000 items which are neatly packed on the shelves in a completely random order.

When an order comes in, Amazon employees use a machine that pinpoints the exact location inside the warehouse of the items on order. They are then packed inside a bag and put out for delivery where awaiting drivers come and collect them.

From books, DVDs and toys to everyday essentials such as bread, milk, toilet roll and even beer and wine – the items on sale are endless.

Stock also includes plasma television screens, barbecues and coffee machines – all of which customers access via an app on their mobile phones. And items are not stored in any particular order, with books and DVDs sitting alongside face cream, shower gel and Fit Bits.

Jason Weston is the director of Prime Now UK. He said: ‘We’re really excited to be here in Fareham launching the Prime Now service for customers in Portsmouth.

‘It’s an ultra-fast delivery service which enables us to deliver products to customers within an hour.

‘People’s lives are changing. People are leading busy lives today. They are looking for convenience and looking for services that can fit around those lives.

‘The response we have seen since launching this service in other cities is really showing that customers love this, customers want the convenience of it.’

Prime Now launched in London in June last year and has spread rapidly across the UK.

Amazon Prime customers pay £6.99 to have the items they choose delivered within the hour. Alternatively, they can pick free delivery within a two-hour slot. The minimum spend is £20.