Home appliances retailer AO and parcel carrier Hermes and have both opened new distribution centres in the north of England.
AO is opening a 275,000 square foot space at G-Park, Stoke-on-Trent, the fifth large warehouse in its portfolio.
Adding 120 new roles, the large site will be used primarily for distribution to AO’s 18 smaller local hubs.
G-Park uses rainwater harvesting to reduce water usage and enhanced skylights to make use of natural light.
David Ashwell, MD of AO Logistics, said: “Expanding our logistics network is a crucial step in our growth strategy, so we can continue to serve customers when they need us the most. We’ve really had to act quickly to adapt to an influx in customers following the Covid-19 lockdown. By actively securing more warehousing space and creating hundreds of new, quality jobs in the process, we’re working hard to invest in the future.
“As a business, we’re proud to provide both an essential service for customers and a safe working environment for our people, with social distancing in place. Our team have continued to adapt to necessary changes and they are taking the swift expansion in their stride. With our latest distribution sites in Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, we’ve now established a strong logistics hub in the North West.”
Meanwhile, carrier Hermes has opened a new depot in Warrington, at a former Royal Mail distribution centre site.
The 185,000 square foot site will be able to handle over 450,000 parcels per day. The site has opened ahead of peak period to support what Hermes expects will be record volumes of parcels.
Sam Spring, depot manager at the new site, said: “During a year where we have learnt to take nothing for granted, it is fantastic to be opening a new hub for Hermes where business continues to grow, allowing us to provide much needed job opportunities during these uncertain times.
“The new team has worked extremely hard to get the site ready for what will be one of the busiest periods of the year and ensure that our customers continue to get a fantastic service.”
