Online retailer Amazon is set to hire thousands of new staff across its European sites as part of plans to expand its business.

Among these new hires, 2,500 will be permanent UK-based roles: these new positions have been created due to the launch of the company's food delivery business in 2015, reports Food Manufacture.

Amazon has revealed plans for a new UK head office, which is to assist its current branches in Frankfurt and Dublin.

Speaking on the plans for expansion, Xavier Garambois, Amazon EU retail vice president, said: "We are seeing stronger demand than ever from our customers all across Europe, and we see lots more opportunity across Amazon's businesses to invent and invest for the future."

Of the new employees, Amazon plans to recruit more computer scientists and software development engineers throughout its 12 research and development centres all across Europe.

Currently, the retailer employs 40,000 members in Europe, and it has claimed that it set a record last year by employing 10,000 new staff in 2015.