Marks & Spencer (M&S) and TGW Logistics have secured a significant contract for a state-of-the-art grocery fulfilment centre in Daventry, UK.
Scheduled for completion by spring 2029, this innovative hub will harness robotics to automate essential tasks. The facility will include both an ambient temperature section and a chilled area, seamlessly connected by a highly efficient conveyor network.
The ambient section will feature a high-bay pallet warehouse alongside a tray-based shuttle system. Furthermore, a fleet of autonomous robots will manage the transportation of pallets from receiving to storage. Additionally, other robots will automatically compile roll cages for replenishing stores.
Meanwhile, the chilled area will incorporate a sophisticated shuttle system designed for buffering and sequencing trays for automated dolly-building machines.
“We are delighted to be accompanying Marks & Spencer as a partner on their automation journey,” stated Joel Garbutt, Chief Sales Officer for the Customer Unit North Europe at TGW Logistics. He emphasized that this deal represents one of the most substantial orders in TGW’s 55-year history.
Garbutt further remarked, “Together, we have developed a solution that is geared to the future requirements of grocery retail and will set new standards in innovation and efficiency.”
This new fulfilment centre is integral to M&S’s ambitious £340 million multi-year investment in its food supply chain, which was announced in August 2025. M&S considers the development of the automated National Distribution Centre in Northamptonshire as “a key unlock in the ambition to double the size of the M&S Food business.”
The construction of the 1.3 million ft2 facility is expected to generate over 2,000 jobs. Once fully operational, it will create approximately 1,000 permanent roles in logistics, management, and technical areas.
M&S has previously chosen Prologis as the development partner for this pivotal project.