Among the technological novelties is the next generation of the autonomous robot Proteus, which is expected to be put into use in Europe during the first half of 2027. The robot is powered by artificial intelligence and can be controlled by employees through simple text messages without the need for programming.
Amazon is also expanding the STARK robotic system, which picks goods pallets to transport carts. The system has previously been pilot tested in Barcelona and will be installed at 15 facilities around Europe by 2027. Simultaneously, a rollout of Vulcan, a robot equipped with tactile sensing, is underway.
Faster Deliveries
Logistics centers for ultra-fast deliveries (Sub Same-Day Delivery) will expand to more than 25 locations in Europe this year, including Nuremberg in Germany and Coventry in the UK. The infrastructure has been established in cities such as Berlin, Munich, Madrid, Milan and London.
In addition, the “Add to Delivery” function is being introduced on a wider front in Europe, encompassing the markets in Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy and France. The function allows Prime members to add products to an already placed order without having to go through a new checkout process or pay extra shipping fees.
Pivot in Grocery
In the UK, Amazon is expanding its rapid grocery service Amazon Now to Manchester and Birmingham and launching home delivery of fresh produce in London. This comes after the company discontinued its unmanned physical Amazon Fresh stores.
ALSO READ: E-commerce Giant Closes Its Physical Grocery Stores in the Country
John Boumphrey, Amazon's head in the UK, commented on the strategic shift to The Guardian:
We are focusing on making grocery shopping easier and faster for customers, with low prices on millions of items.
Regarding concerns that automation will replace personnel, Boumphrey believes that AI and robots “do not take jobs but change the nature of work”, which instead increases the demand for technical skills and engineers in warehouse operations.
As part of the long-term strategy, Amazon is also investing $1 billion by 2030 in the global Career Choice education program, which aims to retrain employees in high-demand areas, such as mechatronics and cybersecurity. During the previous year, 2025, Amazon's total investments in the European region amounted to over 60 billion euros.