NATIONAL RETAIL GIANT TO CREATE 200 JOBS IN LEICESTERSHIRE

DISTRIBUTION CENTRE DUE TO GO LIVE

NEW John Lewis distribution cen- tre is to create 200 jobs in Leicestershire.

The department store giant is working with Clipper Logistics to run the new warehouse, based in Bardon, near Coalville, to support its online and physical stores, and will be operational ahead of the chain’s Black Friday sales later this year.

The facility will have a minimum term of three years, and is made up of 317,000 sq ft of warehousing space, with Clipper Logistics creating 200 jobs to support the new contract.

The Bardon centre will hopefully go live later this month, allowing them to be fully ready to provide stock replenishment and support during the busy months ahead especially with Black Friday, ChristA mas shopping, and the Boxing Day sales.

Clipper Logistics provides a number of other services for John Lewis, including returns for their online products, furniture orders, pre-retail operations for clothing supplies, and click and collect services to Waitrose and Co-op stores.

Clipper also worked with John Lewis last autumn and winter to provide support for the company’s online sales and restocking shops during its peak Christmas sales which later developed into a threeyear contract.

Steve Parkin, executive chairman of Clipper, said: “We are delighted to extend our relationship with John Lewis and remain proud to support their e-commerce and store replenishment operations.

“Clipper is very much the go-to provider of end-to-end services in the online retailing space.”

Mark Robinson, supply chain director of John Lewis, said: “John Lewis are pleased to extend our long-standing relationship of over 20 years with Clipper who continue to have an excellent reputation for delivering rapid and effective logistics solutions.

“We look forward to continuing our collaborative working relationship in the years to come.”