Parcel delivery company DPD is has announced that it will invest £330 million to build seven 60,000 ft2 state-of-the-art parcel delivery centres in the next two years.
CONSTRUCTION ON the new 60,000 ft2 distribution centres in Crawley and Darlington will see the delivery this year with facilities in Cambridge, Bradford, Guildford, Milton Keynes and Sittingbourne set to be built in 2026. All seven facilities will be operational by early 2027.
The announcement comes following the recent merger of DHL UK and EVRi in the fiercely competitive UK parcel distribution market. Ecommerce is still on a trajectory to grow with the UK parcel market predicted to see further expansion, with revenues expected to exceed £230 billion this year according to Tritax.
The new fully automated sortation facilities will each be capable of processing up to 80,000 parcels a day, with capacity to accommodate over 100 new delivery driver routes to ensure the operation can handle the demand
DPD group UK Director of Marketing, Communications & Sustainability Tim Jones said: “This announcement represents a significant investment in our infrastructure as we continue to modify and expand our nationwide network of over 80 regional sorting centres.”
“Our 50th new depot will be a landmark moment with the majority of our regional sorting centres having been replaced and upgraded. It is one of the reasons we continue to be the leading premium parcel delivery service in the UK – we have modern, purpose built infrastructure in place with the speed and the capacity needed to run a premium national seven day a week, next day delivery service.”
“With 38% of our delivery van fleet already electric, these facilities will be served by increasing numbers of electric vehicles, making them more sustainable operations, and helping us move towards our Net Zero targets.”