Argos corporate news
Grand opening for Argos Kettering Distribution Centre
13 July 2007
The Argos Distribution Centre at North Kettering Business Park will be officially opened today, Friday 13 July.
The 700,000 sq ft Direct Imports (DI) Centre – which has been in operation for 12 months – houses goods imported by Argos from suppliers into the UK, and is managed and operated by leading supply chain solutions provider, Wincanton.
The Kettering site will be opened by Argos managing director, Sara Weller, and Wincanton CEO, Graeme McFaull, at a celebratory launch event for key stakeholders, management and staff. Those attending will be given site tours, an overview of the business, and to appreciate the scale of the development, helicopter flights.
Wincanton’s relationship with Argos has developed over seven years, and now incorporates warehousing, transport and distribution and the management of inbound container movements from the port of Felixstowe. Wincanton has recruited a 300-strong team to manage the Argos contract at Kettering, drawing on a primarily local skills base. In addition, its Corby site employs over 400 people – making Wincanton and Argos a significant regional employer.
Sara Weller, managing director at Argos, said she was delighted to be on site to join in the celebrations: “It’s an honour to be officially opening our direct import centre here today at Kettering. It’s down to incredible teamwork between Argos and Wincanton that we have such a successful site and one which is undoubtedly a flagship of the Argos operation and one which should have pride of place for Wincanton too. The site continues to grow and it is extremely well placed to support the Argos direct import operation throughout the business now and in the future.”
Graeme McFaull, CEO, Wincanton, continues: “We are delighted to be working with Argos at Kettering. The location was selected for its central position between the major ports of Southampton, Immingham and Felixstowe, providing the ideal hub for imported goods. This new warehouse builds on Wincanton’s long-term success within the retail sector and our experience of Direct Imports has allowed us to create a solid foundation for our existing network whilst it also allows for potential growth.”
Since the site opened 12 months ago, over 12,000 containers of product have been processed.
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