Marks & Spencer plans to build £200m distribution centre at London Gateway

Prime Minister welcomes £200 million investment by Marks & Spencer into new distribution centre at London Gateway

• 700 new jobs for South Essex
• Major efficiencies in M&S supply chain to be achieved by shipping to new London Gateway super port including cost and fuel reduction
• 900,000 sq ft Marks & Spencer distribution centre to be located at London Gateway Logistics Park
• Global shippers and cargo owners meet at Britain’s new international trade hub to discuss global trade ahead of G8

20-6-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — Marks & Spencer (M&S) and DP World London Gateway today jointly-announce that M&S will build a major new distribution centre at the new deep-sea container port and logistics park, which opens later this year on the Thames, 25 miles from central London, in South Essex.

Locating M&S’ new distribution centre at Britain’s new global shipping gateway means M&S will move millions of products directly from ships to the company’s new distribution centre at the adjacent London Gateway Logistics Park. The new London Gateway port’s south east location gives M&S closer access to key UK cities which means goods will not travel as far to reach consumers. This model will be both cost effective for M&S and remove millions of road miles from UK roads along with thousands of tonnes of CO2.

As part of the £200million investment into DP World’s London Gateway, M&S will create approximately 700 jobs; there will also be hundreds of additional workers employed in the construction phase.

The announcement, which marks a major milestone in the development of the 1,500-acre site, was welcomed by Prime Minister David Cameron, who visited London Gateway this morning and discussed global trade with an audience of 200 business leaders.

Marc Bolland, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer, said: “London Gateway will become our third large distribution centre in the UK as we transform our logistics operations into a modern and agile supply chain, fit for the future of M&S. As we become an international, multi-channel retailer, London Gateway will help us become more efficient by cutting costs and locating our supply chain closer to our stores and our international markets. It will also help us deliver against our Plan A objectives by removing road miles and emissions from our network.”

His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman DP World, said: “I’m delighted to be able to welcome the Prime Minister and Marc Bolland to London Gateway. It’s a fantastic day for the UK, as British consumers will soon be getting more efficient, and more reliable, global supply chain infrastructure. This is a great place and a great time to be talking about global trade.”

Simon Moore, CEO, DP World London Gateway said: “Marks & Spencer will have a world-class distribution centre connected to a world-class deep-sea port providing more reliability and efficiency for its business. By bringing ships carrying millions of products closer to the point of consumption we will help M&S to shorten its supply chain. The M&S team is truly leading the way here and we look forward to the next phase of the planning process.”

Subject to planning, Marks & Spencer will begin construction of the new facility in 2014. London Gateway port is set to open in Q4 this year.

Key facts:

• Marks & Spencer is one of the UK’s leading multi-channel retailers with 766 stores in the UK and 420 international stores and nine dedicated international websites in over 50 territories in Europe, the Middle East and Asia
• The planned 900,000 sq ft distribution centre will be used to store clothing, home and gifts before they are transported to UK and international M&S stores
• M&S is planning to use the rail network being built at London Gateway, which will link to the rail terminal at the M&S distribution centre in Castle Donington
• At full development, London Gateway port will provide 3.5m teu capacity and will allow the world’s largest ships to call just 25 miles from the centre of London

Photos and B-Roll available http://www.ap-corporateservices.com/multimedia-newsroom

Press questions / Interviews and images requests:

DP World

Email: LondonGateway@edelman.com  or call Toby Conlon +44 (0)7805 681 431

Xavier Woodward, Marketing and Communications Manager, DP World London Gateway Xavier.woodward@dpworld.com   +44 (0)7748 623 423

Tom Conroy, Communications Officer Tom.conroy@dpworld.com +44 (0)7770 692139

M&S

Daniel Himsworth, Corporate PR Manager, Marks & Spencer

daniel.himsworth@marks-and-spencer.com    +44(0)7827 858 655

About Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer is an international, multi-channel retailer selling high quality, great value clothing and home products and outstanding quality food. 30 million customers visit M&S stores and M&S.com every week and the company employs 81,000 people across the globe. M&S was founded 129 years ago and has 766 UK stores and 420 international stores and nine dedicated international websites in over 50 territories in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. For more information please visit www.marksandspencer.com/corporate.

About London Gateway

Opening in Q4 2013, London Gateway will be the UK’s first 21st Century major deep-sea container port and Europe’s largest logistics park. Owned and operated by DP World and situated on the north bank of the River Thames, London Gateway will provide unrivalled deep-sea shipping access to the largest consumer markets in the UK. The port’s location, with its superior operational systems and service, will ensure ships load and unload as fast as possible, making London Gateway a world class asset for the UK. www.LondonGateway.com

About DP World

DP World has a portfolio of more than 65 marine terminals across six continents⁽¹⁾, including new developments underway in India, Africa, Europe, South America and the Middle East.

Container handling is the company’s core business and generates around 80% of its revenue. In 2012, DP World handled more than 56 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units).  With its committed pipeline of developments and expansions, capacity is expected to rise to more than 100 million TEU by 2020, in line with market demand.

DP World has a dedicated, experienced and professional team of 28,000 people serving its customers around the world, and the company constantly invests in terminal infrastructure, facilities and people to provide quality services today and tomorrow, when and where customers need them.

In taking this customer-centric approach, DP World is building on the established relationships and superior level of service demonstrated at its flagship Jebel Ali facility in Dubai, which has been voted “Best Seaport in the Middle East” for 19 consecutive years. www.dpworld.com

⁽¹⁾  As of June 2013.