238 cities and regions vie for second US Amazon headquarters
238 US cities and regions are falling over themselves in a bid to woo Amazon as it deliberates over where to build its second headquarters in the country.
238 US cities & regions vie for Amazon second headquarters
In a PR masterstroke, the e-tailer hasn’t committed to a specific geographic location and has instead invited interested parties to come forward with their own incentives to locate to a specific area, opening the floodgates to a barrage of pleas, pledges and promises from politicians desperate to win the prize.
These included 54 states, provinces, districts and territories in the country, with near neighbours Canada and Mexico also weighing in to support specific bids. Amongst them is New Jersey which has reportedly offered Amazon $7bn worth of credits against state and city tax liabilities should it decide to move to Newark.
In return Amazon, currently concentrated within its Seattle base, has promised to invest more than $5bn, bringing with it the promise of 50,000 jobs.
Other bids from regions without the same financial firepower have had to resort to more unorthodox incentives, with the mayor of one Atlanta suburb promising to transform 345 acres of industrial land into a new city called Amazon, with Jeff Bezos serving as its honorary mayor for life.
Unfortunately for Stonecrest, Amazon is likely to alight on a top tier city to help it recruit the best talent although a final decision will not be made until next year.
Amazon unveiled its expanded London headquarters over the summer, bringing its total UK workforce to 24,000.