£10 million expansion for Lakeland distribution centre
Kitchenware specialist Lakeland has opened a £10 million extension to its distribution centre in Kendal giving the company the capacity for future growth with the ability to operate up to 200 stores both in the UK and overseas.
The Kendal site is the engine room of the company multi-channel operation, with goods ordered via its web site and from its range of catalogues picked, packed and posted to customers from this location. It currently despatches more than 7 million products a year to customers in 100 countries. It also supplies the network of 68 stores in the UK and nine in the Middle East.
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From left: Sam Rayner, managing director; Claire Seddon, distribution centre manager; Peter Thornton, chair of South Lakeland District Council; Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale.
Managing director Sam Rayner said: “We have an incredibly loyal and industrious workforce here in Cumbria and with some staff at the centre having been with Lakeland for over 30 years, it was right for us to expand here.
“The company was founded in the Lake District and that is where our heart is. The infrastructure was already in place and it made perfect sense for us to take this next step and to expand in this way. As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, It’s a very exciting time for Lakeland and with the expansion becoming operational; we can now look forward to the on-going growth of the business.”
It is envisaged that the expansion of the distribution centre will create over 100 new jobs over the next 10 years, and further job creation is anticipated from the opening of new stores.
