Clothing and footwear firm opens 600,000 sq ft fulfilment centre

VF Corporation, through its local subsidiary VF Northern Europe, has begun operations at its new multimillion-pound fulfilment centre in Bardon, Leicestershire, employing approximately 250 people during peak periods.

The new 600,000 sq ft centre, which is the equivalent of 10 football pitches, will feature state-of-the-art automation capabilities. VF says the new facility will enable it to provide more efficient distribution services for its brands’ wholesale, ecommerce and retail customers in the UK – serving almost 90% of the market within a day. It has a capacity of 200,000 units per day, in addition to 18 stations with the capacity to pick 170,000 units per day.

The new centre builds on VF’s significant investment in the UK in the past two years. In 2019, VF Axtell House launched its new business hub, this was followed closely by the opening of new Timberland® and Vans® flagship stores in London.

Martino Scabbia Guerrini, VF’s president of the EMEA region, said: “We are extremely proud to mark the opening of the VF’s most technologically advanced fulfilment centre in the region. This exciting new development, which supports the evolution of our supply chain business model, bolsters our UK presence, our number one market in EMEA. It also underlines our commitment to be a consumer-minded, retail-centric and hyper-digital enterprise as part of our company transformation and long-term growth strategy.”

Darren Miller, VF’s vice president, supply chain EMEA, added: “Expanding into this prime location will allow us to further strengthen our operations to ensure we can continue a high-quality service to our many retail and ecommerce customers across the UK. Investing in cutting-edge and technologically-advanced equipment also allows us to integrate our online and in-store operations, reducing lead times and driving efficiencies to meet customer demand more effectively.”

Matthew Hibberd, director of distribution, said: “In line with VF’s ‘people first’ culture, the new centre has been designed with employees’ welfare in mind. It offers a safe and comfortable working environment, with open space and breakout areas for colleagues to collaborate and meet informally. In addition, there is an onsite canteen and gym, to encourage a healthy work-life balance.”

Recruitment for the fulfilment centre began last year. The majority of the roles have been filled, with additional operator jobs added as volume increases throughout the year.