Amazon has rolled back plans to open its second US headquarters in New York following political backlash over the tax subsidies the firm would have received.
The online retailer’s abrupt turnaround comes just months after the business had named Long Island City, Queens as the site for its new headquarters following a 14-month search.
The etail giant had been offered nearly $3bn (£2.3bn) in incentives by city and state politicians to secure the deal, a move which promoted fierce competition from competing politicians and local residents.
A statement from Amazon said: “A number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned.
“We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion.”
The online retailer said in November that it would invest $2.5bn and create over 250,000 “high-paying” jobs at its new headquarters in New York and Washington DC over the next two decades.
New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo both supported the deal, as did the majority of state residents according to polls.
However, the financial incentives offered to one of the world’s most valuable companies to secure the deal alongside concerns about the headquarters pushing up local property costs led to opposition from City Council members and newly elected Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Amazon has said it will not look for a new site to replace its previously planned New York headquarters, but would move forward with its Washington DC site as planned.
In the UK, the online retailer is also understood to have secured a site for its first Amazon Go store outside of the US.
The etailer has secured locations in undisclosed locations which are big enough to accommodate 5,000 sq ft stores, according to The Grocer.
The site Amazon has chosen are reportedly in high footfall areas, but not in the city’s most affluent locations.
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