Booker is transforming its Makro cash & carry in Fareham into a new distribution centre, as it looks to speed up deliveries across the south east.
The 117,000 sq ft warehouse will be able to deliver around 220,000 cases of stock a week to retailers operating with its Londis, Budgens and Premier symbol groups across the region, as the wholesale giant “seeks to enhance accessibility and convenience” for its customers.
The relaunch will also lead to the creation of over 200 new jobs, including a general manager, health and safety advisor, a warehouse operative, HGV drivers, and transport operation clerks.
The new site will add to its existing eight distribution centres, 190 cash & carry branches and five Best Food Logistics sites, which collectively serve one million customers across convenience stores, pubs, restaurants and hotels.
“We are always looking at new ways of working to make us as efficient as possible, so we add most value for customers,” a Booker spokeswoman told The Grocer. “One of the areas we are exploring is how we can improve the way in which we serve our delivered customers in the Fareham area and beyond.
“We are redeveloping our Fareham site to a distribution centre. Along with the redeployment of existing colleagues, this change could potentially lead to the creation of over 200 new jobs at the site.”
It comes as Booker announced last week it was launching an ordering service called Chef Central for multiple site foodservice operators.
The service, which allow customers to order a pre-agreed range of products centrally with Booker, aims to help them maintain a consistent product range on a national and regional level.
Using its Best Food Logistics network for nominated lines, Chef Central will deliver the ordered goods directly to the customer’s door.
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