Amazon opens major distribution centre near Lyon, France

Amazon inaugurated a new distribution centre in Colombier‑Saugnieu, a suburb east of Lyon, on 1 July. The three‑level facility covers 60,000 m², cost about €200 million and is built to handle up to 400‑500 k parcels per day at peak volume.

The site will eventually employ around 3,000 workers; 1,000 are already on the payroll and the company aims for 1,500 by year‑end. Automation relies on roughly 4,000 orange‑coloured robots that move goods across 39,000 shelves.

The centre marks the first concrete step of Amazon’s €15 billion investment programme in France for 2026‑2028, and local officials said it will bring significant fiscal benefits. Earlier legal challenges by environmental groups were rejected.

Amazon says the location near Lyon‑Saint‑Exupéry airport will cut parcel travel distance by 31 %, saving about 117 g of CO₂ per parcel.