Woodland Group opens new e-commerce facility in Colchester

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Woodland Group opens new e-commerce facility in Colchester.

Thanks to the continued growth of Woodland Group’s Warehouse and Fulfilment business, the global supply chain company has opened a new 45,000 sq ft facility in Marks Tey, Colchester. The new warehouse has been designed to expand capacity by 5,000 pallets, has over 4,000 pick faces dedicated to e-commerce and boasts some of their latest carbon-conscious warehousing initiatives.

Since the Marks Tey location opened its doors to clients in the 1st week of August, Woodland Group have onboarded new customers and brands that will all be operational for the 2021 peak trading period.

The opening of this site has resulted in 10 additional roles to start while also creating opportunities to progress and diversify for Woodland Group’s existing team members.

"It’s a really exciting time for our fulfilment teams and clients, as we further develop the solutions we’re able to deliver to support forward-thinking businesses in changing eCommerce and supply chain management processes for greater positive impact.", Kevin Stevens, CEO and Chairman, commented. 

As such, and in line with their most recent facility upgrades and carbon-conscious vision, the new Marks Tey facility features:

• Newly created office and meeting rooms, relaxation areas and social spaces for the team
• The latest li-ion forklift trucks with revolutionary charging system, and battery optimisation for measured energy output based on requirements
• LED lighting with motion sensors reducing energy consumption across the entire facility
• Additional Lorry parking for 40 trucks and modern driver facilities 

In addition, Marks Tey is their first location to run:

• A new warehouse waste reduction programme with view to be zero landfill
• Solar panels to power the facility using renewable energy

Woodland Group has invested in a full redesign of their warehouse management system in partnership with TMWare which allows them to deliver a fully paperless, integrated solution that works with all the major shopping carts and retailers allowing for peak order picking in excess of 180,000 B2C orders per month.

The opening of the company's Marks Tey location is a great stepping stone as Woodland Group rolls out their national and international warehousing and eCommerce vision in line with their aim to create opportunity for clients and communities alike and invest into carbon-conscious solutions that will deliver the sustainable supply chains of tomorrow.