Hundreds of jobs are set to be created by Mars UK at a huge new warehouse at a distribution park near East Midlands Airport.
The confectionery giant’s new depot is expected to create up to 550 jobs at the SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border.
Business Live reports that Mars UK has struck a £350 million deal with logistics specialist DHL, which will see two big depots built – one at the Castle Donington site and another in London.
Mars’ three biggest UK subsidiaries, Mars Wrigley, Mars Food and Mars Pet Nutrition, will use the warehouses, with the Castle Donington plant expected to open in spring 2022.
The firm has signed the deal with DHL, which Mars says would cut its annual outbound logistics carbon footprint by 7.7 per cent in the UK – which it said was equivalent to the annual emissions of heating 543 UK homes.
The two sites at East Midlands Gateway and the London Thames Gateway, which is east of the capital, will have a combined size of one million sq ft and increase Mars’ warehousing capacity by more than 50 per cent.
Tim Walker, supply chain director at Mars UK, said: “Our partnership with DHL will deliver a world-class logistics operation that is sustainable, smart and agile. What is good for our business is also good for the planet.
“This project is a meaningful step in our sustainability journey as we look to create the world we want tomorrow – which we know starts with how we do business today.”
(Image: Segro)
Jim Hartshorne, DHL Supply Chain’s managing director for retail and consumer and Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to be extending our global partnership with Mars in the construction and management of these sites.
“Our shared environmental commitments are supported by this investment and we are creating long term, exciting jobs in both of these communities.
“This project will be the foundation of the UK logistics chain for Mars for many years to come and we are incredibly proud to be selected to lead in this project.”
Mars UK moves more than 1.2 million pallets of products every year – stacked on top of each other that would reach to the top of Mount Everest every other day.
Mars earns global revenues of around £26 billion and employs 115,000 people around the world. It has brands such as Skittles, M&Ms, Snickers, Twix, Dove, Pedigree, Whiskas, Milky Way and Orbit.
DHL offers logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfilment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport and industrial supply chain management, and has about 380,000 employees in more than 220 countries. DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group.
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