Iceland Foods Opens Warehouse

Iceland Foods has opened the doors to a 500,000sq ft warehouse in Warrington which will be operated by GXO Logistics. The £100m facility will employ more than 750 people.

Located at Omega Park, the new site is Iceland’s largest warehouse to date. It will serve as a major hub for distributing products to over 350 Iceland stores nationwide, with the potential to expand its reach to 500 locations in the future.

The warehouse, which includes ambient, chill, and frozen chambers, has been designed with future growth in mind, incorporating state-of-the-art technology to drive efficiency and ensure a resilient supply chain.

Iceland’s investment also supports a more sustainable operation, with the site partly powered by solar panels to increase green energy consumption.

Tarsem Dhaliwal OBE, Iceland Foods chief executive (pictured right), said: “We’re always looking at ways to make our business stronger, more efficient, and better for our customers. Investing in our supply chain is a huge part of that, and this new state-of-the-art warehouse is a game-changer.

“It gives us the capacity to grow, improve service, and future-proof our operations for years to come. Warrington means a lot to me personally, as the place where I grew up, and it gives me particular pleasure to have been able to make such a major investment here.

“We’re proud to be employing more than 750 people and delivering real economic benefits to the local community.”

Gavin Williams, GXO MD for the UK and Ireland (pictured left), said: “We’re proud to be delivering the next phase of our logistics partnership with Iceland as we support their long-term ambitions with a warehouse that is fit for the future.

“The new Warrington regional distribution centre is great news for the local community and for our colleagues, who will help us assist Iceland’s growth plans across the country.”

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Greggs invests in manufacturing and logistics site

UK food-on-the-go retailer, Greggs, have announced it’s entering into a lease agreement for a new state-of-the-art frozen production and logistics facility in Derby, Derbyshire.

Greggs’ strategic growth plan, announced in 2021, set out ambitious expansion targets requiring investment in significant supply chain capacity. At 12 May 2024, Greggs had 2,500 shops trading and it expects to open between 140-160 net new shops during 2024. The longer-term target is to have significantly more than 3,000 shops trading in the UK.

The new facility is being developed at SmartParc SEGRO Derby on a high-tech food manufacturing site in Spondon, Derby. Greggs will occupy a 23-acre plot on the campus. Following the construction of the building by the landlord, Greggs will develop the facility and install state-of-the-art manufacturing and logistics equipment to optimise the efficiency of operations on site. The site is expected to open in late 2026 and create up to 600 jobs.

The new purpose-built facility will provide additional manufacturing capacity for products – including new savoury and sweet production lines – as well as logistics for frozen storage and fully automated robotic shop order picking and distribution solutions from Swisslog, one of the world’s leading logistics automation companies. The facility will also have additional capacity to enable further investments to meet future category growth, innovation and development, including the capacity for at least five manufacturing platforms and the potential for new production lines to be commissioned to meet volume demand.

The site has been designed with a focus on sustainability including the use of an onsite shared Energy Centre (a centralised heating and cooling system that recycles heat from refrigeration plants across the estate), a rainwater harvesting system, PV panels, EV charging points and a secure bike storage to help reduce local emissions.

Roisin Currie, Chief Executive at Greggs commented: “We are delighted to announce our new state-of-the-art facility at SmartParc SEGRO Derby. This purpose-built site offers significant flexibility to add new capabilities and lines as our business evolves. This is a significant step in our supply chain investment and will provide much-needed manufacturing and logistics support to power our ambitious growth plans.”

Jackie Wild, CEO at SmartParc said: “It is our ultimate vision that SmartParc SEGRO Derby becomes a hub for forward-thinking food businesses seeking sustainable and efficient operations, a collaborative work space and a first-class location with excellent connectivity, whilst also putting their people first. Greggs embodies this approach and we are immensely proud to welcome such a cherished food business to the site.”

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