DHL says it is investing £17.5m (€19.2m) to increase capacity in key locations across its UK network to support growth following a reported 40% uplift in volume in 2020 so far.
The investment includes five site moves in strategically important locations for the business. DHL says that in each location it is at least doubling its footprint and handling capabilities.
In November, a new facility opened in Eastleigh, Hampshire, with an investment of over £7.5m (€8.2m). Parcel handling operations from DHL’s nearby Fareham site are being migrated to the new building, which is more than double the size of the existing depot at over 85,000ft2 and is capable of processing 20,000 parcels a day.
In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, the company has moved in to a new 79,000ft2 facility. At three times the size of its existing infrastructure in the area, it will also handle up to 20,000 parcels per day. In addition, the business has invested in a new purpose-built facility in Lincoln in the East Midlands, as well as sites in Norwich in Norfolk and Perth in central Scotland. DHL says all of the sites will include state-of-the-art sorting equipment to improve operational efficiency.
Peter Fuller, CEO of DHL Parcel UK, commented, “The global pandemic has driven huge uplift in e-commerce and accelerated our network upgrade plans. The new infrastructure will improve our parcel handling capabilities, enabling us to support our customers’ ongoing e-commerce growth.”