Marks & Spencer is opening a clothing and home distribution centre in Welham Green, Hertfordshire.
The 500,000 sq ft facility, part of the retailer’s five-year transformation plan, will be operational next year.
The facility, formerly occupied by Tesco, will be converted into a clothing distribution centre and will be run by a third-party logistics supplier.
M&S will cease operations at its Neasden, north London, distribution centre and transfer the work to other sites in the M&S network.
Gordon Mowat, director of supply chain and logistics for clothing and homewares, said: “M&S is changing and we are transforming our stores and supply chain to better serve our customers.
“The new site in Welham will deliver better service for our customers and enable us to become a more agile, lower-cost retailer. The location has fantastic transport links and we’re looking forward to building a great operation in Hertfordshire.
“The decision to move operations from Neasden to other sites within our network is not one we have taken lightly, however. It’s an important part of our transformation.”
The Welham Green centre will be fitted out and tested during 2018 and is expected to start operations early next year. The site will include 27,000 sq ft of offices.
The site in Neasden is operated by third-party logistics specialist XPO Logistics with transport operations at the site provided by DHL. Both XPO and DHL have entered into a period of consultation with the 380 colleagues who work on site.
The changes are the latest in M&S’s plan to adopt a single-tier clothing and home distribution network. The network currently comprises 19 distribution centres and warehouses, including large facilities in Swindon, Castle Donington and Bradford.
DTRE acted for M&S; JLL represented Tesco.
To send feedback, e-mail amber.rolt@egi.co.uk or tweet @AmberRoltEG or @estatesgazette
