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AMAZON COMETH: E-commerce giant starting overhaul of former Ford plant

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Construction will begin Monday on redeveloping the former Ford assembly plant site south of London for the e-commerce giant Amazon, The London Free Press has learned.

A few workers will be there to start setting up trailers and fencing at the Highway 4 site in Talbotville, south of Highway 401, in preparation for construction of what is certain to be a massive project, said union officials representing construction workers.

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While union officials have only been told that the massive redevelopment is for an e-commerce business, sources have told The Free Press a huge Amazon shipping-and-sorting “fulfillment” centre will be built there.

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The sale of the site was confirmed just last week, although a buyer was not publicly identified. The Ford plant closed in 2011 after 44 years assembling cars, and about 1,100 people lost their jobs. The plant on 254 hectares of land was torn down in 2015. The site was listed for sale that year for $22.75 million.

Broccolini Construction, which has offices in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, has bought the entire site.

The site is ideal for a major development as it sits at the intersection of highways 401 and 402, a half-hour from the 403 and two hours from Toronto and two U.S. states, Michigan and New York. Local economic-development officials have praised its potential.

ANALYSIS: WHAT AMAZON’S LONDON PLANS MEAN FOR WORKERS, CONSUMERS, RIVALS

“Any time a site that has sat empty for so long is being redeveloped into a productive use it’s positive for the region regardless of what goes there. It has to lift the region,” said Kapil Lakhotia, chief executive of the London Economic Development Corp.

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Amazon is also building two warehouses in London. In the Amazon model, products are sent to fulfillment centres, packaged and then sent to warehouses and delivered to customers. One warehouse is being built by Dancor Construction at Huron Street and Robins Hill Road and PCL Construction is renovating a second site at 580 Industrial Rd.

The London Economic Development Corp. is working with Amazon to help them hire for the warehouses, said Lakhotia. There will be more than 100 positions at the sites.

“We’re working with employment agencies in London to get the word out to job seekers preparing them for an opportunity at Amazon,” Lakhotia said. “We want to help spread the word, make people aware of the opportunity.”

Sean Dyke, chief executive of economic development in St. Thomas, agreed it’s a relief, and a win, to see building once again on the Ford site.

PHOTOS: THE FORMER FORD TALBOTVILLE PLANT

“We’re all very excited there will be development on that property. The spinoff will be great for St. Thomas, Elgin and London. It will affect the whole region, not just one community,” Dyke said. “It really doesn’t matter who it is. In the long run, a project of that scale is a major development.”


Other projects built by Broccolini Construction for Amazon:

  • sorting centre, Laval, Que.
  • fulfillment centre, Ajax
  • fulfillment centre, Barrhaven, near Ottawa
  • sorting centre, Lachine, Que.
  • sorting centre, Ernest Cormier, Que.
  • logistics warehouse, Whitby
  • fulfillment centre, Scarborough
  • fulfillment centre, Ottawa
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