20 Of The Largest Warehouses In Yorkshire
As the largest county in the UK, Yorkshire has seen significant growth in the warehousing, distribution and logistics sectors over recent years. Home to national and regional hubs for major UK and global companies, let’s take a look at some of the biggest warehouses situated in Yorkshire.
1. IKEA
Size: 1.3 Million Square Feet
Location: Doncaster
Swedish furniture giant Ikea is no stranger when it comes to big box locations, with almost all of its stores operating on a large format retail model. But Ikea’s distribution centre on the 154 acre West Moor Park near Doncaster is its largest premises in the UK, having been expanded over the years to a whopping 1.3 million square feet, equivalent to 17 football pitches.
2. M&S
Size: 1.1 Million Square Feet
Location: Bradford
A major distribution hub for the high street and online retailer, Marks and Spencer’s 1.1 million square foot warehouse on the 90 acre Prologis Park site near Bradford is used to supply stores with furniture, equipment and ambient food items. Opened in 2010, the building was designed to be carbon neutral and features a massive 43,000 square feet of mezzanine flooring over two levels.
3. ASOS
Size: 1.1 Million Square Feet
Location: Barnsley
Ecommerce retailer ASOS, founded in 2000, is one of the most visited online fashion websites in the world, and uses its massive 1.1 million square foot centre in Barnsley to handle most of its distribution and returns. Operated by XPO Logistics, the site has undergone a number of expansion and automation projects to support the continued growth of the company, which is also planning an additional 437,000 square foot warehouse in Staffordshire due to come on-stream in 2023.
4. Amazon
Size: 1.1 Million Square Feet
Location: Doncaster
As one of the world’s leading online retailers, Amazon has a number of huge warehouses all over the globe. It’s 1.1 million square foot logistics facility at the iPort site in Doncaster includes access to the UK’s motorway network as well as a 35 acre freight rail hub. With two other existing sites around Doncaster, work on the iPort facility, which is half a kilometer in length, was completed in 2017 and includes bespoke interior fit out and automation systems developed for the US e-commerce giant.
5. B&Q
Size: 792,250 Square Feet
Location: Doncaster
As one of the UK’s leading DIY and home improvement brands, B&Q has distribution centres serving both the north and south of the country. Its northern centre is the almost 800,000 square foot hub located at the 200 acre Redhouse Interchange site near Doncaster. Opening in 2005, the distribution centre includes automated high bay racking systems and solar panels for increased efficiency.
6. The Range
Size: 750,000 Square Feet
Location: Thorne
Expanding home and leisure retailer The Range moved into its 750,000 square foot distribution centre at Nimbus Park in Thorne near Doncaster in 2014. Originally built in 2006 and strategically positioned close to the M18, the facility provides the company with good access to the UK’s motorway network enabling it to distribute goods to stores around the country.
7. Tesco
Size: 712,000 Square Feet
Location: Goole
Purpose built for supermarket Tesco in 2007, this 712,000 square foot facility currently serves as a main regional distribution centre for the supermarket brand, supplying stores with ambient food and beverage products. With easy access to the UK’s motorway network as well as nearby freight rail and port terminals, the facility is located on the 300 acre Capitol Park Goole site between Hull and Wakefield.
8. Next
Size: 690,000 Square Feet
Location: Doncaster
Next has been one of a number of high street brands to embrace the move to online retailing over recent years, and its purpose built 690,000 square foot distribution centre at the West Moor Park site on the outskirts of Doncaster is one of its biggest. Sitting alongside another Next unit at the site, the warehouse includes mezzanine levels containing remote picking systems along with office space and areas for customer service personnel.
9. Lidl
Size: 686,000 Square Feet
Location: Doncaster
Discount supermarket chain Lidl has seen significant expansion in the UK over recent years, and opened its largest UK distribution centre at Doncaster’s iPort site in 2019. The site offers close proximity to road and rail links, and is also home to Amazon’s 1.1 million square foot facility. Lidl uses its £70 million Doncaster hub to supply stores around South Yorkshire and the Midlands, processing almost 4,000 pallets of goods each day.
10. Clipper Logistics
Size: 667,000 Square Feet
Location: Leeds
Clipper Logistics signed a deal to lease Logicor’s Sherburn 667 facility, located at Sherburn near Leeds, at the end of 2020. The unit is used primarily by Clipper as part of its retail logistics operations which it manages for a range of brands, and which continues to see growth due to the increase in popularity of online shopping. The facility has parking space for 135 HGVs and includes four mezzanine floors totalling 450,000 square feet.
11. TK Maxx
Size: 640,000 Square Feet
Location: Knottingley
Built in 2017, discount retailer T.K. Maxx uses its 640,000 square foot facility on a 44 acres site at Knottingley as a primary distribution centre. The facility was developed with future growth in mind, and has the capacity for three mezzanine levels to be added to provide up to 760,000 square feet of additional floor area. The huge building also houses 25,000 square feet of office space over 4 floors alongside the warehouse area.
12. Pretty Little Thing
Size: 615,000 Square Feet
Location: Sheffield
A former printworks, the Logicor Sheffield 615 facility underwent major refurbishment in 2017 to enable it to function as a modern ecommerce distribution centre. The site is now managed by Clipper Logistics for the online fashion retailer Prettylittlething.com, part of the Boohoo.com group, which has seen significant growth in recent years as online retailing has boomed.
13. Sainsbury’s
Size: 585,000 Square Feet
Location: Leeds
Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s operates a number of distribution centres in the UK, including its 585,000 square foot facility at Sherburn Park near Leeds. Built in 2000, the site is one of the company’s main distribution hubs and is used to supply stores in the North East of England with a broad range of goods.
14. The Range
Size: 547,000 Square Feet
Location: Normanton
The Range took on another large scale warehouse in Yorkshire in 2020 when it moved into premises previously operated by Poundworld. Located on the 31 acre Premier Way North site at Normanton near Wakefield, the facility complements The Range’s Doncaster distribution centre allowing it to further scale operations.
15. Panattoni
Size: 513,000 Square Feet
Location: Wakefield
Due for completion in summer 2021, commercial developer Panattoni’s £50 million Wakefield 515 facility is located close to the M1 and M62, providing convenient access to the UK’s motorway network. Suitable for use as a distribution centre or similar operation, the building includes warehouse space as well as 16,000 square feet of offices over two floors, and features rainwater harvesting systems and solar panel integration.
16. Croda
Size: 376,000 Square Feet
Location: Goole
British chemical company Croda International began developing its worldwide distribution hub at the Goole 36 site in 2018. With good domestic and international transport links, the 30 acre development includes a high specification warehouse featuring anti collapse racking, high levels of automation and energy and water saving systems. The site also houses Croda’s product sampling operations as well as a training centre for employees.
17. Hermes
Size: 363,000 Square Feet
Location: Barnsley
Logistics and delivery specialists Hermes is set to open its 363,000 square foot warehouse, nicknamed Colossus, at Hoyland on the outskirts of Barnsley in 2022. As the largest automated parcel hub in Europe, the facility will be able to process 1.3 million parcels each day, primarily to handle the increase in demand generated from e-commerce retailing that has taken place in recent years. The hub has also been designed so that additional tiers can be added at a later date, increasing capacity further if required.
18. Premier Farnell
Size: 360,000 Square Feet
Location: Leeds
Electronic component distributor Premier Farnell moved into its 360,000 square foot distribution centre in 2019. Positioned on the 100 acre Logic Leeds park on the outskirts of the city, the facility was newly built in 2018 and offers convenient access to the M1 along with advanced automated picking systems for efficient operation.
19. Asda
Size: 336,000 Square Feet
Location: Wakefield
One of the big four UK supermarkets, Asda, operates a 336,000 square foot regional distribution centre at the Normanton estate near Wakefield. With 27 loading bays, the building which was originally built in 1991 distributes 1,200 pallets each day to around 50 stores in the region. The site also includes a large vehicle service yard and HGV fuel pumps, and is one of a number of centres operated by the company throughout the UK.
20. Unilever
Size: 263,000 Square Feet
Location: Doncaster
Originally built in 2002, Unilever’s facility at the Trax Park site near Doncaster serves as a national distribution centre for the company. Unilever produces a range of consumer goods through brands including Persil, Hellman’s and Dove. The facility which provides approximately 263,000 square feet of space and reaches 26 metres in height includes sophisticated automation systems for high efficiency.
Warehouse Development In & Around Yorkshire
As this list reveals, Yorkshire is a popular region for a wide range of warehousing, distribution and logistical operations. Avanta has been involved in a number of projects featured in this list, working with clients including M&S, Next, ASOS and The Range to deliver solutions such as:
- Mezzanine flooring
- Pallet racking
- Steel partitions
- Racking nets / racking safety systems
While not every organisation requires facilities as on the same scale as some of those listed here, any business planning growth and expansion will inevitably require additional space to operate.
Planning for future warehousing needs is an important part of any growth strategy, particularly in sectors where warehouse space is a fundamental requirement such as ecommerce, retail, manufacturing and engineering. And with new warehouse space often at a premium, solutions to gain additional storage or office space and to increase the efficiency of existing buildings are also in high demand.
Whether moving to new premises, or updating an existing warehouse to increase capacity through the use of solutions including mezzanine flooring, there are a number of ways businesses of any size can scale their operation effectively. Efficient and appropriate warehouse solutions including pallet racking systems and office creation are also important factors to get right; contributing to improved productivity and business capabilities.
Located in Leeds, and with over 20 years experience in helping businesses of all sizes create workspaces that meet current and future requirements, Avanta are ideally placed to deliver solutions for growing companies.
From full refit and refurbishment projects, to extending the usable space within existing facilities, to developing efficient and tailored storage and goods processing systems; Avanta offers a full turnkey service to help clients meet their individual objectives.If your business is looking to update a commercial workspace, get in touch with Avanta to discuss the range of options available.