Marks & Spencer anticipates that this Christmas will be the busiest ever at its biggest distribution centre.
Marks & Spencer estimated that approximately 6 million online orders will be picked and packed at the Castle Donington distribution centre in the Midlands. An extra 850 staff have been brought on board to cater for demand, bring the total number working at Castle Donington to 3,000.
Online clothing and home sales rose 11.3% during M&S’ first half, accounting for a third of the total and driving that further is a key focus of its ‘reshaping for growth’ strategy.
M&S chief executive Stuart Machin said at the recent interim results: “With clothing in growth and strong online performance, we are clear that now is the time to seize the opportunity in other categories including home and beauty.
“Across clothing and home online, we need to accelerate our transformation and reimagine our proposition. Under new leadership, we’ve now got a grip on our digital and technology infrastructure, as progress to date has been slower than we would have liked, so we must accelerate delivery.”
Across the clothing and home supply chain more widely, M&S reported in its interims that its “high cost, slow moving” characteristics had “constrained” availability and sales. Initiatives under way to change that include changes to commercial processes and a new planning platform.
Marks & Spencer will update on Christmas trading on January 9.
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