Amazon has opened three more logistics centres in Brazil to make maximum use of the boost the Covid-19 pandemic has given to e-commerce in the country.

The new units are already operating in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul and the capital city of Brasilia, increasing the number of Amazon logistics centres in Brazil to eight.

The expansion, which adds 75,000 square meters (807,000 square feet) of distribution space, is Amazon’s biggest since it began operating in Brazil in 2012 and will create 1,500 direct jobs, the company said.

The new centres will allow the company to immediately raise the number of cities where Amazon Prime customers can receive deliveries within two business days to over 500 from 400.

“Brazil is the country with the fastest growth in Amazon Prime subscriptions,” Alex Szapiro, Amazon’s chief executive in Brazil said.

Thousands of Brazilian businesses have increasingly shifted to e-commerce platforms due to social distancing measures and lockdown measures.

Last week, MercadoLibre Inc, Latin America's e-commerce leader, announced that its net revenue in the region rose nearly 150 per cent in the third quarter, measured in local currencies.

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