Retailer to create 200 jobs to meet Christmas demand
Catalogue retailer Argos is set to create 200 jobs at its new Birmingham distribution centre to ensure it can meet peak demand in the run-up to Christmas.
The retailer, now owned by Sainsbury’s, has opened what it calls a regional fulfilment centre (RFC) in 100,000 sq ft unit in Witton.
Together with a sister facility in Reading, the two centres are to enable the retailer to improve its Fast Track home delivery service to customers or to allow them to collect their goods from the store of their choosing – which can now include Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
The Fast Track offer has become hugely popular with customers, with home delivery sales up 31% and Fast Track collection sales up 57%.
The group will initially create 100 jobs at each centre, increasing to 200 in time for the Black Friday event later this month and then for the Christmas period. The jobs will be a mix of full and part time roles.
John Rogers, Argos CEO, said: “Our new Reading and Birmingham sites increase our Fast Track capacity across the UK significantly, which means we can get more products to more customers more quickly.
“We know that we see double-digit sales growth and increased footfall when sales from a Sainsbury’s in-store collection point are fulfilled through a Regional Fulfilment Centre, so we are confident that this will have a significant, positive commercial impact as well as delighting our customers.
“Six million more households now have access to an increased range of 35,000 products, delivered to a location of their choice within 24 hours. This is great timing for customers with Black Friday and Christmas just around the corner. We expect the two new sites to process more than a million items in time for Christmas.”
