Cold store specialist Lineage Logistics has broken ground on a 230,000 sq ft expansion to create a southeastern superhub at Roxhill’s 180-acre Peterborough Gateway in Cambridgeshire.
The new fully automated facility will have 92,000-pallet-position, which will serve both retail and foodservice customers with unique supply chain requirements. The company said that the 35-metre tall building will feature some of the world’s most sophisticated automation and refrigeration technology, helping to reduce energy consumption and overall environmental impact.
The company acquired the Yearsley Group two years ago, which already had a 26,000 coventional pallet position base at Peterborough Gateway.
The company said: “Lineage’s phased expansion approach in Peterborough is in response to growing customer demand from both online and conventional grocery sales – a trend which was accelerated as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the UK, online sales now account for 13% of all grocery sales, up from 7.4% in March 2020, and new online customers are predicted to continue shopping online (Kantar). Frozen items have also increased in popularity, and the sector is up 22% year over year.”
In addition to Lineage’s expansion in Peterborough, the final phase of the company’s expansion plans in Heywood will be fully operational in March 2021 and add 22,000 pallet positions to the existing location.
