Amazon distribution center

In this Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016, file photo, an employee of Amazon PrimeNow prepares bags to fill with orders from customers making purchases at a distribution hub in New York.

(Bebeto Matthews | AP)

Amazon.com is set to open its first distribution center in Upstate New York.

The online retail giant told The Buffalo News that a new "sortation center" will open later this year in a former supermarket warehouse in Lancaster, near Buffalo. The 525,000-square-foot facility at 4201 Walden Ave. will create hundreds of new jobs in Western New York, Amazon said.

It will be the company's second distribution center in New York state, after a "Prime Now" hub in Manhattan.

According to the newspaper, Amazon's new center will focus on sorting packages to speed up delivery times. Customer orders are filled, packed and shipped out from fulfillment centers to the distribution centers, which focus on smaller geographic areas and offer delivery on Sundays.

An opening date for the distribution center has not been announced. It's unclear how many jobs will be created, but Buffalo Business First reports there will be at least 500 positions available.

Several job openings have already appeared on Amazon's website, however, including for an operations manager, area manager, administrative assistant, staffing coordinator and business partner.

"We've found great talent in abundance in New York state," spokeswoman Lauren Lynch told the Buffalo News. "We look forward to creating hundreds of jobs to help us better serve customers."