Sept. 7 (UPI) — Online retail giant Amazon announced Thursday it’s planning to spend billions to build another headquarters for its operations in North America.
The company said in a statement that it wants the new complex to mirror its existing Seattle headquarters — as it’s expecting a growth of 50,000 employees.
Amazon said it plans to invest $5 billion in the facility’s construction, once a location is decided on.
“We expect [the second headquarters] to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters. Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We’re excited to find a second home,” Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said.
Amazon noted a few preferences for their new location, including “metropolitan areas with more than one million people” and a “stable and friendly business environment.”
With plans to make the new complex a complete headquarters, Amazon said employees that currently work at the Seattle facility will have opportunities to stay or transfer.
Amazon has done particularly well for Seattle, contributing $38 billion to the city’s economy between 2010 and 2016. Every dollar invested by the company translated to an additional $1.4 for the city economy.
The company said it’s accepting proposals for the new office. They are due by Oct. 19.
