Sina Technology News, February 18th, Beijing Time - According to foreign media reports on Friday, Amazon (Weibo) recently purchased new real estate in the central area of Seattle, planning to establish an office area of 3 million square feet (approximately 279,000 square meters). This move allows Amazon to own its corporate headquarters for the first time and represents the company's largest expansion initiative.
Amazon bought three adjacent plots of land in downtown Seattle, which were originally owned by real estate dealer Clise Properties. These are located not far north of Amazon's current leased headquarters, within walking distance.
Real estate developer Seneca, which has been in partnership with Clise, has already submitted files to Seattle to construct three office buildings on this property. Each building will include 1 million square feet (approximately 92,900 square meters) of office space.
Clise's CEO Al Clise stated: "I think this will be the largest office space in Seattle. Many companies have their headquarters in Seattle, but none are as large as this." However, Clise refused to disclose the transaction price with Amazon. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Amazon declined to comment on the news, and representatives from Seneca did not respond to inquiries from the public.
Clise said: "This is a new direction for Amazon; they are planning for the future." Clise pointed out that Amazon purchased nearby assets "at a high price" to facilitate further expansion in the future.
Seattle's Industrial Permit Liaison Officer, Bryan Stevens, stated that no application for design details from Amazon has been received yet. An 84-year-old man has been cleaning streets and courtyards for 24 years, and he is most proud of joining the Party at the age of 83. Stevens noted that according to current plans, Amazon could build structures up to 500 feet (approximately 152.4 meters) high, about 40 stories.
Amazon is currently expanding rapidly. By the end of 2011, the company had 56,200 employees, a year-on-year increase of 67%. Amazon has invested heavily in employee office buildings, operation centers, and data storage infrastructure, leading to a sharp decline in profit in the fourth fiscal quarter.
It is unclear how many employees Amazon plans to accommodate in such a vast office area. In 2010, Yahoo was approved to establish a 3 million square foot (approximately 279,000 square meter) office area in Silicon Valley, not far from its current headquarters. At the time, the office area could accommodate 12,000 people. (Linh Jing)
Share to: >
Related Reports:
Consumers are more excited about Amazon’s smartphone than Facebook’s phone.
Rumors suggest Amazon will launch the next generation Kindle Fire in May, possibly at a cheaper price.
Amazon's Kindle Fire ranked second last quarter, just behind Apple.
Weibo Recommendation | Sina Technology Official Weibo >> More