Business Booming, Amazon Plans Big Real Estate Expansion

"Nine months into a global health crisis, buying online has become the default shopping strategy for many people, especially during the holiday season as COVID-19 runs rampant. In 2019, the company delivered about 2.5 billion packages in the US — roughly 20 for every household — a number analysts expect to jump by 20 percent or more this year," according to an article by Tim Logan and Janelle Nanos.

With businesses booming, Amazon is preparing for a future that maintains this level of widescale reliance on delivery services.

"That’s why it’s betting big on a web of warehouses and delivery centers in major US cities, a shipping network on a scale never before seen. By the end of 2020, industry analysts expect, Amazon will have added roughly 100 million square feet of warehouse space to its portfolio, a 50 percent jump from what it had just one year ago."

The company's real estate expansion is already visible in Eastern Massachusetts, according to the article—both in new sorting centers, shipping hubs, and "last-mile" shipping centers.  

The company's expansion is already encountering opposition from potential neighbors, along with resulting setbacks.