Internationally recognised online retailer Amazon announced yesterday that it would be opening a new customer service centre in South Africa before the end of 2010.

Although Amazon has had a local presence since 2005 it has kept a relatively low profile until now; the new centre, which is due to open its doors in October, is expected to create over 600 jobs during its first year of operation with an additional 400 seasonal jobs to be added during the holiday season in the fourth quarter.

“It’s important to have customer service representatives available when it’s convenient for our customers,” said Brent Jaye, director of Amazon's North America Customer Service in a company statement.

“We are pleased with the South Africa and the Western Cape government’s commitment to developing a customer service center industry. Cape Town is widely regarded for its hospitality and we are excited about drawing upon this customer-centric talent pool.”

The centre is expected to offer positions for both English and German speakers.