Marks & Spencer (M&S) and DP World London Gateway jointly-announce that M&S will build a major new distribution centre at the new deep-sea container port and logistics park, which opens later this year on the Thames, 25 miles from central London, in South Essex.
Locating M&S' new distribution centre at Britain's new global shipping gateway means M&S will move millions of products directly from ships to the company's new distribution centre at the adjacent London Gateway Logistics Park. The new London Gateway port's south east location gives M&S closer access to key UK cities which means goods will not travel as far to reach consumers. This model will be both cost effective for M&S and remove millions of road miles from UK roads along with thousands of tonnes of CO2.
As part of the £200million investment into DP World's London Gateway, M&S will create approximately 700 jobs; there will also be hundreds of additional workers employed in the construction phase.
The announcement, which marks a major milestone in the development of the 1,500-acre site, was welcomed by Prime Minister David Cameron, who visited London Gateway this morning and discussed global trade with an audience of 200 business leaders.
Marc Bolland, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer, said: "London Gateway will become our third large distribution centre in the UK as we transform our logistics operations into a modern and agile supply chain, fit for the future of M&S. As we become an international, multi-channel retailer, London Gateway will help us become more efficient by cutting costs and locating our supply chain closer to our stores and our international markets. It will also help us deliver against our Plan A objectives by removing road miles and emissions from our network."
His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman DP World, said: "I'm delighted to be able to welcome the Prime Minister and Marc Bolland to London Gateway. It's a fantastic day for the UK, as British consumers will soon be getting more efficient, and more reliable, global supply chain infrastructure. This is a great place and a great time to be talking about global trade."
Simon Moore, CEO, DP World London Gateway said: "Marks & Spencer will have a world-class distribution centre connected to a world-class deep-sea port providing more reliability and efficiency for its business. By bringing ships carrying millions of products closer to the point of consumption we will help M&S to shorten its supply chain. The M&S team is truly leading the way here and we look forward to the next phase of the planning process."
Subject to planning, Marks & Spencer will begin construction of the new facility in 2014. London Gateway port is set to open in Q4 this year.
