Warburtons distribution depot in Waterlooville to close, confirms company

The company is closing three temporary depots in Waterlooville, Speke and Buckingham, which will be replaced by sites in Widnes, Bognor Regis and Banbury.

A company spokesman said: ‘To enable us to meet the increased demand, ensure our products arrive at store as fresh as possible, and to fulfil new retailer distribution partnerships we needed to increase the capacity at our depots.

‘The new depots at Banbury, Bognor and Widnes would not have been completed in time so we temporarily relocated to Speke, Buckingham and Waterlooville to provide that additional capacity.’

The move is part of a £56m investment programme by Warburtons as it also expands two existing bakeries in Stockton and Burnley.

Warburtons says this will create 150 new jobs, and claims that all staff members have transferred from the existing depots to the new sites.

Company chairman Jonathan Warburton said: ‘Investing in our infrastructure is key to ensuring the long-term success of our fifth generation family business.

‘Consumer tastes are changing, and we work hard to make sure we are providing a range of products to meet consumer demand, this investment programme will allow us to better respond to these tastes for non-bread baked goods, and meet the growing demand for crumpets and bread alternatives such as thin bagels.’

Warburtons has 11 bakeries and 15 depots around Britain, with a fleet of almost 1,000 vehicles delivering to 20,000 stores across the UK every day.

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