Greggs has unveiled plans for a new national distribution centre in Kettering to support its ambitious UK expansion plans.
The food-to-go giant has partnered with logistics developer Tritax Symmetry for the creation of the centre at Symmetry Park. It has submitted a planning application for 311,551 sq ft of logistics space on a 25-acre plot. The unit will be designed to a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ standard, achieving an EPC A rating and meeting Net Zero Carbon in Construction requirements, they said.
Tritax Symmetry is also seeking planning permission for an additional 100,000 sq ft to enable Greggs to expand the site further. The centre will be a key part of Symmetry Park which extends to 136 acres in total with more than 2.3m sq ft of space.
Subject to planning, Greggs expects the site to be operational in the first half of 2027.
The initiative is part of Greggs strategic growth plan, announced in 2021, which set out ambitious expansion targets requiring investment in significant supply chain capacity. Greggs currently has 2,500 shops and its longer-term growth plans target an estate of significantly more than 3,000 shops in the UK. This investment will bolster its capacity to directly supply ambient and chilled products to a growing portfolio of shops, it said.
Greggs has also broken ground on a purpose-built frozen production and logistics facility in Derby to help support its expansion plans. The Spondon site will provide additional manufacturing capacity for products – including new savoury and sweet production lines – as well as logistics for frozen storage and fully automated robotic shop order picking and distribution solutions. Once up and running, which is expected to happen in late 2026, it will create up to 600 jobs.
Over the past decade, Greggs has opened more than 1,000 outlets and last year posted pre-tax profits of £188.3m on sales of £1.8bn.
CEO Roisin Currie, who stepped into the role in 2022 having been with the company for 14 years, was recently awarded The Grocer Cup for her outstanding contribution to the food industry.
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