Royal Mail starts work on new parcels hub in Warrington

Royal Mail announced it has started designing the technical fit out for a fully automated parcels hub in Warrington.

The Company’s commitment to a 15-year lease, and fitting out the site’s state-of-the-art operation, represents a significant expenditure to maintain its presence in the North West.

Once operational, the Warrington hub, which is the size of 4.5 football pitches, will be able to process over 600,000 parcels per day.

These parcels will typically comprise items purchased from retailers the evening before and larger parcels more suitable for van delivery.

Close to urban centres like Liverpool and Manchester, and to the warehousing and fulfilment centres of online retailers, the Warrington parcel hub is ideally situated to support growth in UK ecommerce.

Especially the growing demand for next day delivery and the delivery of larger items makes it a necessity for Royal Mail to expand its network capacity.

Proposed relocation

Under the proposals, Royal Mail plans to relocate its existing North West Distribution Centre (NWDC), currently in Mill Lane, to the new site which is 4.4 miles away.

This is subject to an ongoing consultation with Royal Mail’s people and unions. The Warrington mail processing centre will continue to operate from its existing site in Orion Boulevard.

“This significant commitment to the North West is just one example of how Royal Mail is changing to drive e-commerce growth across the UK. This new site – the first of three parcel hubs to be announced – alongside initiatives like accepting e-retail parcels into our network late in the evening, will help us to meet growing demand for next day delivery.”

Simon Barker, National Operations Director Royal Mail

Royal Mail is talking to their people who work in and around Warrington and the unions about the company’s proposals for the new site.

The postal carrier wants to involve them in shaping the operations in the North West and help safeguard high quality employment opportunities in the business.

READ MORE: Royal Mail study shows UK retailers are optimistic about summer sales

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