Marks & Spencer Group Plc. (MAKSY.PK,MAKSF.PK,MKS.L) announced a 340 million pounds multi-year investment in its food supply chain. A key component of this investment is the development of an automated National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Northamptonshire, supporting the company's ambition to double the size of its Food business.
Spanning 1.3 million square feet, the new facility will incorporate advanced automation to boost operational efficiency, enhance product availability, and meet the needs of a growing customer base choosing M&S for their weekly shop. Located at the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal—a strategic logistics hub with strong transport links—the depot is scheduled to open in 2029.
This announcement follows an earlier commitment to open a 390,000 square foot distribution centre in Avonmouth, Bristol, which will serve stores across the Midlands, South-West England, and South Wales.
In addition, M&S has accelerated its store rotation and renewal programme, including the launch of twelve new food stores on former Homebase sites. The initiative aims to deliver 420 larger, fresher Food stores and a more efficient network of 180 full-line stores, with half of the estate expected to adopt the renewal format by 2027/28. Phased over five years, the investment will expand supply chain capacity to support this transformation.
The construction phase of the new NDC will create over 2,000 jobs. Once operational, the site will support approximately 1,000 permanent roles across driving, logistics, management, and technical functions such as automation technicians.
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May 08, 2026 15:50 ET Manufacturing and services sector survey results and labor market data from main economies were the highlight on the economics news front this week. Factory orders and jobs report dominated the news flow in the U.S. Similarly, industrial production data from German garnered attention in Europe. In Asia, purchasing managers’ survey results from China and the central bank decision from Australia were in focus.