A few years after the operation was expected, the work will soon be finished and it will begin opening a $40 million Amazon facility in Slidell.
But don’t look for company officials to provide a possible start date yet.
The online retail giant has sought two city permits for interior work in the huge building and to erect signs on it, Slidell Mayor Bill Bolchart said.
Amazon spokesman Steve Kelly said this week that the Slidell facility remains in the company’s long-term plan despite delays in opening.
Kelly said the company has no expected opening dates to offer. He said in a previous interview that employment will not begin until 30-60 days after operation.
“Work is ongoing as the facility is ready to go online,” Kelly said in an email. “The work is currently focused on building internal construction, including racking and transportation.”
“As construction progresses, we need to get a better idea of the launch timeline,” he added in an email.
The exterior of the 140,000-square-foot facility on Town Centre Parkway, near the old Spanish trail, has been completed for several years. However, the company says it must still be equipped with racks, conveyors and other equipment.
Amazon unveiled the Slidell Center in 2021, targeting its first opening day in 2022. The opening was pushed back several times, and Kelly refused to even offer a ballpark time slot.
Staff at St. Tammany waited worriedly for the opening of the centre.
The date is hazy for Slidell, but Amazon is busy in Louisiana.
Last June, Amazon opened a $200 million, 3.4 million square feet facility in Baton Rouge at the former Cortana Mall. The company said that in the end, more than 1,000 people could work on the site.
Another Amazon facility in Shreveport opened last October and employs more than 1,300 people.
The Baton Rouge and Shreveport facilities are the company’s large “fulfillment centres.” Slidell’s centers are often referred to as “the last stop center” because they become somewhat smaller and are the final stop point for packages before being delivered to customers.
