Competitor Watch
A new Hermes parcels super-hub – the largest of its kind in Europe – has been approved by Barnsley Council’s planning committee.
The 363,000sq ft facility, nicknamed ‘Colossus,’ is proposed for land off Sheffield Road in Hoyland, and could process up to 1.3 million parcels a day at full capacity with plans to add capacity in the future.
The application incorporates 298,700sqft of warehousing, a three-storey office block, parking spaces for 650 cars, 595 HGVs, 150 tractors and 60 cycle storage spaces.
Due for completion in 2022, the £60 million development will be the largest in Europe and will create around 1,300 new jobs in the area.
Martijn de Lange, CEO at Hermes, said: ‘Colossus is strategically located near the motorway, close to several of Hermes’ retail customers’ distribution sites. This means that later cut-off times for collections will be provided.
‘Our continued investment to strengthen our network and infrastructure across the UK is laying the foundations for future growth, creating more employment opportunities and confirming our position as an industry leader.’
As parcel volumes continue to rise in our own network, we are moving forward with our strategy to increase automation to better equip our business to take advantage of accelerating trends.
Construction work is currently underway on our second parcels hub, which is situated at the Daventry International Rail Freight Interchange (DIRFT) in the East Midlands.
Press play to hear chief operating officer, Achim Dünnwald, tell us why we need parcel hubs, and colleagues’ views on how the new hub will help the business grow.
