Discount retailer Home Bargains greenlights new automated DC with go live set for mid-2028

Home Bargains reports the construction of a new distribution centre.

The contract for this has been awarded to McLaren Construction, with a ceremony taking place on Friday 21st March and it is expected to be operational mid-2028.

Completion is scheduled for October 2026. The facility will then hand over to Witron for installation of automated picking equipment. It will service 300+ Home Bargains stores.

Stuart Goss, Operations Director at McLaren Construction, says: “We are thrilled to break ground on this major project for T J Morris. This development is a testament to our expertise in delivering high specification logistics facilities that drive business growth and regional economic development.”

The new DC, located in Doncaster, will span circa one million ft2 and is designed to enhance logistics efficiency, create new job opportunities, and support Home Bargains’ expansion plans. The facility will incorporate sustainable building practices and will be automated, working in partnership with WITRON, utilising its latest order picking technology.

It has the same design as the retailer's DC in St Helens, which becomes operational in May 2025, with all product groups and logistics areas - from receiving to truck loading - integrated end-to-end into the automated overall process.

All processes are controlled by an intelligent warehouse management system from WITRON. The material flow includes 470,000 pallet, tray, and tote storage locations, 104 stacker cranes, as well as more than 15 kilometres of conveyor technology - all designed and manufactured at WITRON’s headquarters in Parkstein (Germany).

“In addition to the benefits for consumers in the stores, a decisive criterion for TJ Morris was also the focus on the employees who will work with WITRON technology in the logistics centre in the future. They will benefit from state-of-the-art, ergonomic workstations, which is an enormous competitive advantage in times of labour shortages,” says Duncan Pointon, WITRON’s UK Sales Manager.

“In addition, the issue of sustainability, is addressed in many different ways – for example through significant CO2 savings due to densely packed load carriers, optimal truck utilisation, and fewer trucks on the roads. Furthermore, through space savings in construction and by significantly reducing excess goods, breakage, and waste.” 

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Automation will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which will open for entries in March, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy  Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.