Recipe box rivals HelloFresh and Gousto are expanding their distribution centre footprints with the launch of two new sites.
HelloFresh today launched The Orchard in Derby, a 118,000 sq ft site which it said means the company is able to “reach more of the UK in fewer miles”. The Orchard – named in an employee contest – is HelloFresh’s third distribution centre, following the opening of The Granary and The Beehive in 2016 and 2020. The Orchard is located at SmartParc Segro Derby, which launched in April, with HelloFresh becoming the industrial park’s first anchor tenant.
“We are thrilled to have opened our third facility in the UK, and look forward to developing our presence in Derby and building lasting connections with the local community,” said Laurent Guillemain, UK CEO at HelloFresh. “We look forward to delivering to more households across the UK, and can’t wait to be a part of changing the way that they eat, forever.”
The Orchard features a sustainable water-cooling system and EV charging points for employees. These features support HelloFresh’s goal to reduce emissions in its distribution centres by 60% per euro revenue by the end of 2022, it said. In addition, the building will feature a 500kW photovoltaic system on its roof operated by SmartParc, able to deliver 430,000 kWh per annum saving 224,000 kg in carbon dioxide emissions.
The new site is expected to create 450 jobs.
Meanwhile, Gousto is to launch a 295,000 sq ft fulfilment centre at St Modwen Park Burton, in Staffordshire. The £40m chilled fulfilment centre will increase Gousto’s operational capacity by 40%, the company said.
The warehouse - which will be fully operational in the next couple of years - will feature highly automated, chilled environments where Gousto recipe boxes are picked and packed before being delivered to customers. Hundreds of new jobs will be created to run the operation, Gousto said, from engineering managers and warehouse managers to operatives and frontline leaders. Recruitment is expected to begin next year.
The site will be powered by Gousto’s proprietary technology, which enables the company to meet growing demand by maximising daily picking volumes.
“The future is incredibly exciting for Gousto, as we capitalise on the accelerating trends of convenience, health and sustainability that are driving change within the grocery market,” said CEO and founder of Gousto Timo Boldt.
“We’re delighted to be occupying the space at Burton – not only will this increase our capacity, it will bring hundreds of job opportunities to the area. We look forward to embarking on our next stage of growth, as we get closer to achieving our vision of becoming the UK’s most-loved way to eat dinner,” he added.
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