eCommerce Continues to Boom in the UK

As eCommerce continues to grow, demand for modern warehousing and fulfilment facilities is driving investment in logistics infrastructure across the UK, with businesses seeking greater capacity and more efficient supply chain operations to meet rising customer expectations. Against this backdrop, CEVA Logistics has announced the opening of a new large-scale warehouse operation in Derby, UK, marking another significant milestone for the company and further strengthening its position as a strategic logistics partner for leading eCommerce brands.

The new operation, scheduled to go live in August 2026, will see CEVA manage a dedicated facility designed to support the rapid deployment of fast-moving inventory for fulfilment to end-customers across the UK.

Supporting regional eCommerce Growth

CEVA will operate the new 508,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Derby to manage the storage, handling and distribution of customer inventory, enabling faster, more efficient customer deliveries across the UK. The operation supports continued investment and expansion within the UK eCommerce sector and is expected to create approximately 300 new jobs in the region.

Scalable and Sustainable Operations

The Derby facility has been developed with sustainability and operational efficiency in mind, featuring EPC A+ certification, a BREEAM Excellent rating and a solar roof installation designed to support lower-energy operations.

The warehouse has been designed with more than 147,000 dynamic pick faces and variable storage locations, providing scalable capacity to support future growth and increasing customer demand. Additional capacity can be created by installing further racking and converting block-stack floor space, while maintaining operational flexibility and the highest service standards.

Rapid Implementation and Delivery

Mike Weaver, managing director of Contract Logistics for the UK and Ireland, CEVA Logistics, said: 

This new operation highlights CEVA’s ability to deliver large-scale, high-performance logistics solutions at speed. The Derby facility combines operational scale, sustainability and flexibility to support the evolving requirements of today’s eCommerce market. This new site will also further strengthen CEVA Logistics’ contract logistics network in the UK and reinforce the company’s expertise in delivering scalable eCommerce and retail supply chain solutions.

Ready Meal Demand Leads to Automated Warehousing

As demand for ready meals continues to rise, rice producer Herba Ricemills is preparing to expand into Africa and the Middle East while scaling sales in its established markets. To support this growth, the company commissioned an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) designed by Mecalux at its San José de la Rinconada plant (Spain). This site manufactures ready-to-serve cooked rice products and ships brands such as Minute to North America, Lassie to the Netherlands, Cigala to Portugal, and Brillante and Sabroz domestically.

To raise storage density and streamline movements, the company installed Mecalux’s Automated Pallet Shuttle with a stacker crane. This AS/RS has significantly expanded capacity. Moreover, it has accelerated inbound and outbound flows through an electric shuttle that autonomously loads and unloads pallets within the racking. By making better use of available space, Herba Ricemills can now store up to 5,400 pallets. “Ebro Foods’ international, multi-brand strategy involves a high number of SKUs, each with a substantial volume. This scenario clearly warranted the implementation of an AS/RS,” says Juan Pedro Álvarez, Director of Ebro Foods’ Ready to Serve division in Andalusia.

Herba Ricemills’ facility also incorporates racking equipped with the semi-automated Pallet Shuttle, well-suited for working with very high volumes of same-SKU pallets. Operators supervise all these storage solutions through Mecalux’s warehouse management system.

We aimed to take a technological leap to enhance efficiency and operational reliability. We’ve reached zero errors, reduced order fulfilment times, optimised space and now maintain a steady material flow,

says Manuel Matías Martínez, Head of Warehousing and Logistics Management at Herba Ricemills’ San José de la Rinconada facility.

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