Waitrose to create 600 jobs in Chorley
SUPERMARKET giant Waitrose has announced plans to open a new regional distribution centre at Chorley which will create up to 600 new jobs.
It has agreed a deal with Evander Properties and British Airways Pension Fund to develop and lease a 30-acre warehouse on a former BAE Defence Systems site in the town.
The deal, worth £35m will see Evander Properties develop the brownfield site with finding from British Airways Pension Fund. It will contain 360,000 sq ft of warehousing, 50,000 sq ft of office space and a vehicle maintenance unit, allowing it to serve up to 80 branches. Waitrose will complete the site fit-out and then lease the building from BA PEnsion Fund for 25 years.
Waitrose, which is part of the John Lewis Partnersip, said the centre would provide a platform for its future expansion plans for the north of England and Scotland.
It is the company’s fifth regional distribution centre and is consiiderably further north than its nearest depot at Bardon in Leicestershire, which only opened six years ago but is already operating at capacity.
Waitrose’s current store opening schedule involves ten new supermarkets and 25-30 convenience stores each year.
David Jones, Waitrose’s supply hain director, said: “We’re delighted to be making such a significant investment in the North West and creating up to 600 new jobs for the region.
“We’ve made no secret of our plans to take the Waitrose brand to more people in more places and we’re currently still under represented in the north, a key area for our growth ambitions.
“This new regional distribution centre will provide a vital platform for future expansion and unlock significant opportunities for us to open more shops in the North of England and Scotland.”
Over the coming weeks, Waitrose will reach a decision on whether to manage the new warehousing space itself or appoint a third-party logistics specialist.
A planning application for the centre will be submitted to Chorley Borough Council next week. Subject to planning consent, Waitrose hopes the new centre will be up and running by autumn 2012, with recruitment beginning in the spring.
It was advised on the deal by the Manchester office of Colliers International.
