Pets at Home opens new £93m fulfilment centre
The building will provide 670,000 sq. ft of floor space, with adjacent land for an additional 100,000 sq. ft expansion, if required
Pets at Home has opened a new £93m purpose-built distribution centre in Staffordshire.
The pet care retailer said that the development is the “biggest” investment in the company’s 32-year history.
The new centre sits within a 70-acre site at Stafford North Business Park and was overseen by commercial property developer Stoford with the building works carried out by McLaren Construction.
Pets at Home has signed a 20-year lease on the facility, which is close to Junction 14 of the M6.
The building will provide 670,000 sq. ft of floor space, with adjacent land for an additional 100,000 sq. ft expansion, if required.
Facilities will include two double-storey hub offices of 5,600 sq. ft, a recycling store, tote store and a gatehouse detached from the main building.
A nature walk with bat and bird boxes and dog walking areas will be made available for the public and colleagues to use.
The development also includes numerous environmentally friendly features such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting and electric car charging points.
Additionally, the centre will employ more than 800 people to support the company’s next decade of growth.
Pets at Home’s chief executive officer Lyssa McGowan marked the occasion at a ribbon-cutting presentation also attended by her predecessor Peter Pritchard, who commissioned the development, and company founder Anthony Preston.
Daniel Gallagher, joint managing director of Stoford, and councillor Jeremy Pert, from Stafford Borough Council were also amongst the attendees.
McGowan, who is also celebrating her first anniversary as Pets at Home’s chief executive officer, said: “I’m incredibly proud to mark this significant moment for our business with some truly remarkable colleagues and former leaders who have each contributed so much to the success of our business.
“The team have worked incredibly hard to ensure our new fulfilment centre has the capacity and capability to support future growth for years to come as we continue maximising our omnichannel capabilities.”
Gallagher added: “We have worked closely with Pets at Home and Tesco Pension Fund to develop this exciting new scheme that will sustain local jobs in Staffordshire. We have delivered a modern national storage and distribution centre, with a first-class design that has sustainability at its core.”
