Bradford M&S site ‘symbolises turnaround’

SIR Stuart Rose described the company’s new £40m distribution centre in Bradford as an important symbol of the company’s turnaround under his leadership as he prepares to stand down as executive chairman.

In one of his final engagements before relinquishing day to day control of M&S to new chief executive Marc Bolland, Sir Stuart said the Bradford operation was the first of four giant warehouses that will transform the way the company moves goods around the country.

The new warehouse will serve all M&S stores with furniture products and store equipment and next year will expand to supply non-refrigerated food.

Speaking at the official opening of the site, he said: “I’m pretty proud to be here today because this is a hugely important symbol of what we have tried to do.

“Customer service is about making sure when a customer comes in they get a smile and the help they need but its also about making sure that when a customer comes in the product is available and is right.”

The warehouse, built next to the M606 on the Prologis Park, covers 1.1m sq ft and will eventually employ more than 1,200 people when fully operational.

Speaking after the launch, Sir Stuart said Bradford’s transport links and proximity to a large section of the population had been key to the decision where to locate one of the four new warehouses that will replace an existing network of more than 100 sites.

While he broadly agreed with the Government’s attempts to cut public debt, as a retailer he did not welcome the planned rise in VAT but said there was a level playing field between stores and it was down to M&S to ensure its shops remained places customers wanted to visit.

He added: “When I see Marc I can say we have got the warehouse that will take us into the future.”