Marks and Spencer (M&S) is partnering with supply chain consultancy TMX Transform to support the development of its £340 million automated national distribution centre.

The retailer first announced the plans in August.

The move, which marks the largest ever investment in the company's supply chain, aims to support its ambition to double the size of its food business.

The new 1.3 million sq. ft facility, which will be based in Northamptonshire, is set to open in 2029.

"We've partnered with M&S from the initial network strategy development to detailed design assurance and contract execution,” said Alvin Fernandes, global director, program & transformation management at TMX Transform. “When you're making investments of this magnitude, our role is to provide the confidence and risk mitigation that comes from extensive global experience across complex supply chain transformations.

“This facility will enable M&S to enhance safety for their workforce, improve efficiency across their distribution network, and deliver better service to their stores and customers."

The facility will serve as its primary food distribution hub, directly supplying over 200 stores and two additional regional distribution centres (RDCs), covering even more stores across the UK.

The NDC contains a state-of-the-art tri-temperature facility which will handle thousands of products, managing frozen, ambient and chilled food products through fully automated case and tray picking solutions.

The facility marks a shift from traditional mechanised operations to full automation, enabling 24-hour, seven-day operations to support the food networks requirements.

Through the project, the distribution centre has achieved a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) Excellent status, which places it in the top one per cent globally for environmental building innovation.

This status was awarded through sustainability measures such as solar, electric fleet readiness and direct rail freight access.

Last month, M&S announced it had switched its primary wholesale partner for third-party branded products as part of a shift in its supply chain strategy.
The British retailer said that its new partnership with A.F. Blakemore & Son Ltd would help the company deliver a “more consistent and reliable” shopping experience for customers.

Blakemore, which is based in the West Midlands, will deliver directly to the company’s regional distribution network with a new seven day a week service, which the department store and food chain said would ensure “freshness and exceptional quality.”

Several other UK-based retailers have recently made upgrades to their supply chain technology and operations.

Last month, Home Bargains announced it had reached a “major milestone” at its automated distribution centre in St Helens as the variety store chain ramps up operations to pick and dispatch two million cases every week.

The Omega site, which is now servicing 200 UK stores, is intaking more than 25,000 pallets of stock each week.

The company said that this equates to over 50,000 cages of stock and upwards of 1,000 store deliveries every week.

More than 60 per cent of all cases picked have been handled in the fully automated areas of the warehouse.

Asda also recently shared that it had successfully migrated 21 food depots from previous owner Walmart's systems to its new SAP platform, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed to manage business processes including finance, logistics and procurement.

The move forms part of a long-term initiative called Project Future, which focuses on modernising operations, investing in technology and enhancing customer experience across stores and digital platforms.

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