Logistics company set to bring 140 jobs to Birmingham in multi-million investment
INTERNATIONAL e-commerce and logistics company One World Express has selected Birmingham as the base for a new global distribution hub in a move which could create 140 new jobs for the city.
The company is investing in the city having acquired the 100-year lease on a new site at Woodgate Business Park for £3m.
One World said it was currently recruiting 60 roles in logistics, sales, marketing and customer service, but was hoping to add 80 more over the next three years.
The new site comprises a warehouse and office space. Its total investment in the city – including the refurbishment of the new site – is expected to reach £6m.
Headquartered in Hayes, Greater London, One World Express currently has a workforce of more than 50 people and an additional warehouse in Hounslow. Its new site in Birmingham is the first UK investment the company has made outside London.
Atul Bhakta, managing director, One World Express, said: “We have continually outgrown our premises since One World Express was founded in 1998, and decided in 2014 that we needed to expand outside the South East.
“Birmingham’s central location and international connections – with Birmingham Airport offering direct links to our key markets – provide us with the ideal platform for further expansion.
“Although our new site in Birmingham will become a central logistical hub for One World Express, we are also employing a large number of people in customer services. It is a key priority that all of our clients are happy with our service. We have already been able to recruit a number of people, who are energetic and keen to learn, here in Birmingham and are hoping to appoint even more.”
Birmingham City Council, which owns Woodgate Business Park, assisted the company with its recruitment needs, utilising facilities available through its Employment and Skills Service.
Inward investment agency Business Birmingham, which is operated by Marketing Birmingham, also worked closely on the deal, helping the company identify the right site for the hub.
