Narayan AmmachchiArgentinean e-commerce firm Mercado Libre has unveiled another innovation center in Colombia, this time in Medellin.
The 2,400-square-meter facility will be staffed with 400 professionals and develop technology solutions for the company’s retailing and financial services.
This is the retailer’s second innovation center in the Andean country, with the other located in the capital city of Bogota.
“We are sure that the ecosystem of digital entrepreneurship and the innovative approach that positions Medellin as the city of the fourth industrial revolution is the right place for this second center,” stated Jaime Ramírez, director of the Andean region for Mercado Libre.
The innovation center will serve as a hybrid office, meaning employees can even choose to work from home. The flexible working options incentivize employees to become more innovative, says Ramirez.
With technology advancing with each passing day, the retailer is doubling its technology workforce in Colombia, from the existing 1,100 employees to 2,000.
Operating in the country for more than 20 years, Mercado Libre claims to have created 1,500 jobs in the past two years alone. Its business volume is also growing largely due to the travel restrictions imposed in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the region.
The Buenos Aires-based company reported US$1.7 billion in revenue for the second quarter, more than a 90% increase compared to the same quarter last year.
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