Australian expansion boosts global footprint for Chorley’s fulfilmentcrowd
Chorley-based international fulfilment services provider, fulfilmentcrowd, is expanding its global footprint with a new fulfilment centre based in Australia.
Kemps Creek is a 20,000 sq ft fulfilment centre located at the Oakdale South Industrial Estate in Sydney, New South Wales.
The site, which opened in November 2018, can store two million cartons, and includes a digital scanning facility. It has a dedicated project area of approximately 400 sq m that could be utilised for pick and pack, and has both carton and pallet storage available.
This high volume storage, scanning and fulfillment center is located 43 kilometres from Mascot Airport and 60 kilometres from Sydney Ports.
The site also has a number of environmental features, including a 100kW solar photovoltaic system, LED lighting with a lighting control system to manage and minimise power consumption and translucent roof sheeting secured to 10% of the roof area. In addition, rainwater is harvested and reused for landscaping irrigation.
Lee Thompson, fulfilmentcrowd chief executive, said: “Australia has numerous free trade agreements (FTAs) with many neighbouring countries and we are building manufacturing links to help clients locally source products to benefit from favourable tariff and export conditions.
“Diversifying supply chains enhances resilience and reduces single market dependency which is a critical component of a global growth strategy.
“The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing dynamic shifts in consumer demand which align with our ICP, driven by internet penetration, digitalisation – eg payments – changing lifestyles, and technology.
Lee Thompson
“For example, consumers are prioritising sustainability and healthier lifestyles, with increased spending on nutrition and a growing interest in plant-based diets and functional foods that support immunity.”
Asia Pacific has a retail market accounting for 37% of global sales ($4tn), expected to hit 40% by 2028.
The Australian retail market was valued at AUD534.54bn in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.1% from 2025 to 2034. By 2034, the market is expected to reach AUD725.38bn, driven by higher disposable incomes and increased retail spending.
Thompson added: “The Sydney centre will be our Asia-Pacific hub, opening a huge market opportunity for new and existing clients.
“Businesses are currently still looking to grow but rising costs is a huge barrier – with this new fulfilment centre, we can now offer faster and cheaper delivery (average 75% reduction vs shipping from UK) to customers in Australia and New Zealand as well as mature consumer economies including Japan, South Korea, China, and SouthEast Asia.
“Omnichannel retail in the region is growing rapidly – with online sales projected to grow by 18.9% CAGR to 2030 – and there is strong affinity for British and European brands, particularly in the luxury goods and fashion sectors. With this in mind, we made the strategic decision to expand our global fulfilment network to Australia.”
