Warehouse Near
East Midlands
Creating Up to 200
Jobs
Chevin Fleet
Mega Warehouse Strengthens the Job Market
Growing Pains for a Growing Business
Buy it Direct Ltd., one of the UK’s largest online retailers, is poised to ease
the job market around East Midlands as its newest warehouse near East
Midlands Airport officially opens. Over 200 positions have been opened, and
the online retailer is offering up to £500 as an attendance bonus to new
hires.
The timing of the warehouse opening couldn’t have been better; the UK-
wide labour shortage has continued to be felt throughout multiple industries.
The unemployment rate had fallen to 4.2% recently, but there are still fresh
concerns about the state of the economy due to the Omicron COVID-19
variant.
The new East Midlands warehouse stands at 525,000 sq ft, located near
Castle Donington at the M1 and A50. The potential to rejuvenate the job
market is substantial, as the business sells everything from home furniture
to electronics.
The “unprecedented staffing squeeze” means that Buy It Direct will need
numerous personnel from all levels of employment, as well as specialised
tools such as a fleet management system and extra capacities to create the
pick, pack, and dispatch service for third parties.
The massive warehouse also has 76 dock doors, parking for 157 HGVs, and
an 18m height clearance. This speculatively built unit by Panattoni was
created with considerations for the increased stockholding that the company
needs.
Built for the Future
According to Buy it Direct Chief Executive Nick Glynne, there has been
exceptional demand for online goods, and they feel that it won’t be long
before they need another large site within the next four years. This is mainly
to house the oversized goods that Buy It Direct can store in bulk on the
floor.
Spencer Corkin, director of acquisitions at AEW, part of Allianz Real Estate,
explains that the project is part of Buy It Direct’s ambitious plans for the
next few years. The