M&S stumps up £340 million for automated Northamptonshire food DC with go live in 2029

Marks & Spencer has announced a £340 million investment in its food supply chain - the largest in its history. This will fund the development of an automated national distribution centre (NDC) in Northamptonshire - a key part of plans to double the size of the M&S Food business.

Alex Freudmann, MD at M&S Food, comments: “We’re transforming M&S into a destination for the weekly shop and modernising our supply chain is central to that ambition. This investment will boost capacity for future growth, lower our cost to serve over the long-term, and improve product availability – ensuring customers find the right products in the right place at the right time.”

“Our new site will strengthen our network and help us get ahead of the volume curve as we build a bigger, better Food business. By using the latest, proven automation, we are future-proofing both our business and UK retail logistics, as well as creating 1,000 jobs permanently on site and 2,000 during the construction phase.”

Spanning 1.3 million square feet, the new facility will be based at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, and is expected to open in 2029. The move follows an announcement earlier in the year to open a new 390k square foot distribution centre at Avonmouth in Bristol, serving stores in the Midlands, South-west England and South Wales.

M&S says that its three main capital investment priorities are supply chain, store rotation and renewal, and digital and technology. Earlier this year, it announced an acceleration of its store rotation and renewal programme this year, including 12 new food stores on former Homebase sites.

The programme aims to create 420 bigger, fresher Food locations and a more productive group of 180 full line stores, with half the estate expected to be in renewal format by 2027/28. Phased over five years, this investment will support the acceleration of the rotation and renewal programme, creating the capacity needed in the supply chain to support these stores.

The new depot will include: an automated pallet crane for handling long-life ambient products; a high speed shuttle system for sorting and storing stock; a hands free picking solution that loads items directly onto store ready delivery cages

It is also expected to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating - placing it in the top 1% of sustainable buildings globally and becoming M&S’ flagship Plan A warehouse. The site will feature: responsibly sourced and recycled building materials; EPC A+ rating with large scale rooftop solar panel array; a rainwater harvesting system; EV vehicle charging and energy-saving technologies; a vehicle maintenance unit.

Prologis is the development partner and TGW Logistics has been appointed as the automation partner for the project.

Paul Weston, Regional Head at Prologis UK, says: “This development goes beyond real estate - it’s a long-term infrastructure platform tailored to M&S’ future supply chain. Together, we’re combining automation sustainability and smart energy systems to deliver a site that supports growth, resilience and net zero ambitions.”

Craig Mitchell, Sales Project Manager at TGW, say: “We’re extremely proud to be partnering with M&S on this transformation journey. Our collaboration is built on mutual trust, shared ambition, and a commitment to delivering state of the art automation to support M&S’s long-term growth. Together, we are creating a logistics warehouse fit for future retail demands, one that sets a new benchmark for innovation and efficiency in the UK grocery sector.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Supply chain automation will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now open for entries, 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.