Waitrose will open a new distribution centre in south London to serve its dot.com business and create 450 jobs.
The new Dotcom Fulfilment Centre (DFC), in Coulsdon, will replace an existing centre in Acton, west London, which will “almost certainly” be bought by HS2 in 2017. The new facility is part of a move to build capacity for its online grocery business.
The retailer is proposing to close the Acton centre in Spring 2015, and said it is consulting with staff to allow them to take advantage of job opportunities at the Coulsdon centre, which has twice the capacity of Acton.
Along with the new centre, and vacancies in nearby branches, there will be enough employment for all staff at the Acton centre, Waitrose said.
Set to open on 3 March 2015, the 80,000 sq ft Coulsdon facility will employ 450 staff by the end of January 2016.
The DFC at Acton, which occupies 37,000 sq ft, was formerly used as a John Lewis warehouse and in 2011 was converted, providing additional capacity for Waitrose.com orders in London.
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