Marks & Spencer opens new distribution centre
Marks & Spencer has opened a new 900,000 sq ft distribution centre in Castle Donington as it looks to boost its multi-channel capabilities.
The fully automated site, which is 25 metres high, is one the biggest centres of its kind in the UK. The site will operate 24 hours per day and house 16 million individual products. Processing up to a million orders a day, the facility will handle all of the retailer’s online orders and will be a national distribution centre for M&S stores.
The retailer is hoping to encourage more people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for jobs at the site through the Marks & Start Logistics recruitment channel.
Marc Bolland, chief executive at M&S, said: “Castle Donington is one of the most modern, fully automated distribution centres in the UK. As we are recruiting a significant proportion of employees through our Marks & Start Logistics scheme for people with disabilities, this investment in the UK is a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology and a great social working environment.”
Never Miss a Retail Update!Castle Donington is a major part of a major transformation programme to create a more agile and flexible supply chain for the retailer. This will include the building of a new multi-channel platform to host the Marks and Spencer website, investment in new buying and management systems for clothing, home and gift products, and a move to source more products direct from suppliers.
Alan Stewart, chief finance officer at M&S, said: “Our new supply network, alongside new systems and a best-in-class web platform will create a more efficient M&S able to deliver our products to customers in the right place at the right time, whether they’re at home or on the high street.”
