Parcel carrier DPD has earmarked £330 million for a fresh wave of expansion, commissioning seven 60,000 sq ft distribution hubs that will nudge the company towards its fiftieth purpose-built depot and bolster a nationwide web of more than eighty regional sorting centres. The multi-year programme reflects soaring e-commerce volumes and heightened customer demand for rapid, predictable deliveries.
Each site will be fitted with automated sorters capable of handling up to 80,000 parcels a day and room for upwards of 100 additional delivery routes. Ground will be broken first in Crawley and Darlington, followed by Cambridge, Bradford, Guildford, Milton Keynes and Sittingbourne, with all seven facilities scheduled to open their doors by early 2027. The depots will operate round the clock and include on-site charging for electric vans.
“This round of investment accelerates the modernisation of our network,” said Tim Jones, director of marketing, communications and sustainability at DPDgroup UK. “As 38 per cent of our van fleet is already electric, these depots will be served by ever-cleaner vehicles, shrinking our carbon footprint and edging us closer to net-zero.”
The logistics specialist hopes the upgrade will enhance service resilience while underpinning its sustainability goals. Sector watchers will have a chance to hear more at Logistics Manager’s Sustainable Supply Chain Conference in London next June, where representatives from Defra, the NHS and major brands will discuss how greener operations can boost the bottom line.
