Yodel adds four new sites to its UK network


Yodel announced that it has invested in four new UK sites for its service centre network, opening new larger service centres in Northampton, Selby and Farnborough, with a fourth opening in Alfreton, Derbyshire.

The company has also stated its intention to open further sites in 2015. The investment will enhance service levels throughout the UK with the new locations chosen for their proximity to major motorways and town centres. Yodel’s new service centre strategy also works towards removing the requirement for temporary additional satellite sites during peak times, such as Christmas, when parcel volumes increase dramatically.

The site in Alfreton, Derbyshire is expected to handle 34,000 parcels per day, allowing for business and volume growth in the Midlands region. The Selby and Farnborough sites became operational in October 2014. The Selby site, located just off the Selby bypass, includes a 66,000 sq ft distribution facility. The centre handles 10,500 parcels per day and is undergoing investment to raise its capacity to 22,000 parcels per day. The new service centre at Farnborough, which supports deliveries into Yodel’s South East network, is anticipated to deliver over 22,000 parcels a day in the run up to Christmas. Finally the Northampton service centre, which opened in September 2014, currently processes an average of 16,000 parcels daily and has capacity to handle up to 35,000 parcels per day.

The multi-million pound investment programme extends across Yodel’s service and sort centre network including significant upgrades to IT and mechanical handling equipment.

Dick Stead, Executive Chairman of Yodel, said “These recent investments form part of a phased plan to increase the capacity and quality of Yodel’s service centre infrastructure, evidence of our long term aims within the UK parcel market. The developments demonstrate the ongoing commitment of our shareholders and are a vote of confidence for the team here who continuously strive to deliver a high quality service to our clients and their customers.”