650 jobs to be created from £230m Coventry hub

DHL has begun construction on its £230m hub in SEGRO Park Coventry, which is set to create 650 jobs.

The new 25,000m² facility will double DHL’s handling capacity to handle well over 500,000 items per day and will feature secure bonded storage and customs capabilities to support international e-commerce.

The hub features mechanization to enable high-speed and high-quality parcel handling.

It also has been designed with 7,000m2 of solar panels, EV charging stations for cars and LGVs, LED lighting and landscaping to protect the natural biodiversity of the area.

Peter Fuller, CEO of DHL Parcel UK, says: “Coventry’s location makes it a gateway to the rest of the country, 90% of UK postcodes can be reached within 4 hours so it’s an ideal location for us to be able to provide a fast and high-quality service.

“Our existing hub and head office are in neighbouring Ryton-on-Dunsmore so we’re proud to continue investing in the area, creating new jobs and a blueprint for sustainable development.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “It’s wonderful news that DHL’s investment is now coming to life on site here in Coventry and represents a tremendous vote of confidence in the West Midlands for a major global player of DHL’s stature to place themselves at the heart of our rapidly growing logistics sector”.

Andrew Pilsworth, managing director for national logistics at SEGRO, said: “With planning consent for 3.7m sq ft of employment space and the infrastructure works nearly complete, we are looking forward to creating another modern, industrial and logistics development at SEGRO Park Coventry which will drive jobs, inject growth into the local economy and enable the e-commerce services we increasingly use in our daily lives”.

The investment in DHL’s new Coventry hub is part of a £482m investment to facilitate business growth in the UK and is supported by 10 brand new collection and delivery depots across the UK, and expansion of 20 more existing sites as well as investment in sustainable transport.