OTTAWA - Shopify Inc. says it will hire 1,000 people in Vancouver and open its first permanent office in the city in late 2020.
The Ottawa-based technology company says it will be hiring back-end developers, data engineers, mobile developers, web developers, product designers and product managers in the city.
Instead of the temporary rental space Shopify currently uses in the city, the employees will work from a four-storey office at Four Bentall Centre in downtown Vancouver that will span 6,500 square metres.
Shopify says it is adding Vancouver to its current roster of offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal because it sees the city as a hub for talent and conducive for growth.
The announcement comes as Shopify is preparing to go head-to-head with Amazon by rolling out a network of fulfillment centres to help U.S. merchants lower shipping costs and ensure timely deliveries.
Shopify's vice-president of UX, Lynsey Thornton, says the company has not decided whether the Vancouver workers will focus on that project, but there is nothing off the table yet.
