The UK expansion includes ongoing drone-delivery trials from the Darlington site as part of the broader Prime Air rollout.

In 2025, the company invested in launching new operational sites, expanding studio production facilities and office space, and kicking off a drone deliveries trial.

Amazon employs about 75,000 people in the UK, ranking it among the country’s top private-sector employers, while the UK remains its third-largest market globally.

More than £15 billion of UK investment to date has funded developments such as new warehouses and London offices, alongside initiatives like pilot drone deliveries under Prime Air from Darlington, Co Durham.

Amazon began Prime Air drone deliveries from its Darlington fulfilment centre in Co Durham, marking the UK’s first Prime Air trial location.

Direct taxes—comprising corporation tax, business rates, employer National Insurance, and the digital services tax—rose partly due to a higher national insurance rate that took effect in the previous year.

The Darlington drone trials, using MK30 drones, represent the first commercial Prime Air operations in the UK outside the United States.

Amazon’s UK operations generated over £30 billion in revenue in 2025 and paid more than £1.3 billion in taxes, a rise of over 20% from 2024, reflecting growing activity in the country.

Despite higher taxes, Amazon’s UK presence remains significant with roughly 75,000 UK employees, even as the company disclosed about 16,000 global job cuts, largely in the United States.