Parcel superhub

We’ve taken a significant step forward on our parcel automation journey by signing a contract for the technology we’ll use in our North West Hub.

The fully automated hub in Warrington, is the size of 4.5 football pitches and will be able to process more than 800,000 parcels a day.

Beumer Group, a leading supplier of automated parcel and post distribution systems, will design and build the Automated Parcel Sorting System we’ll use in the hub.

We’ve also announced that work on a second hub will commence in August. This will be situated at the Daventry International Rail Freight Interchange (DIRFT) in the East Midlands.

Given how coronavirus has accelerated the trends we were already seeing in our network, of fewer letters and growing parcel volumes, the hub developments have come at a crucial time.

National network and integration director, Simon Barker, said: ‘While lockdown is easing, we know that online sales will continue to be the significant part of retail sales and we shall continue to see more parcels pass through our system as a result.

‘Our parcel hubs will ensure that businesses at a local and national level have the parcel delivery capacity they need to meet the consumer demands.’

The parcels going through our hubs will typically comprise items purchased from retailers the evening before, as well as larger parcels more suited for van delivery.

Close to urban centres like Liverpool and Manchester, and online warehouse and fulfilment centres, the North West Hub is ideally situated to support the growth of e-retail and the growing demand for next day delivery.

Our DIRFT-based hub falls in the ‘golden triangle’ at the heart of the UK’s motorway and rail network, with excellent links to the M1 and M6 as well as access to the West Coast Main Line.