Mutual retail & services business The Co-operative Group has today announced the opening of a new distribution centre in north Derbyshire, creating some 300 new jobs and employing over 1,000 people.
The opening of Castlewood CDC marks the completion of a £22 million transformation and modernisation programme started in 2004 and the 480,000 sq ft centre will be fully operational by October, the group said.
Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the depot will service Co-operative Food stores in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire with over 3,600 weekly deliveries.
The Co-operative Food CEO Steve Murrells, who will unveil a plaque at the new South Normanton site today, commented: “The opening of Castlewood marks a major milestone for The Co-operative and the completion of a radical revamp of our entire logistics network.
“We‘ve invested £22 million into Castlewood to create an efficient facility, which will not only create 300 new jobs and boost the local economy, but it also represents The Co-operative Food‘s ambition for the future.”
Situated just off Junction 28 of the M1, the depot features a number of energy-efficient initiatives including rainwater harvesting and movement detection lighting which has helped the centre secure an “excellent” BREEAM rating, a leading assessment for sustainable buildings.
Bolsover District Council‘s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Alan Tomlinson, who along with other local council members will today bury a time capsule to commemorate the launch, said that the CDC will benefit the local area.
He explained: “We worked very closely with The Co-operative and are delighted that they chose South Normanton as the location for their regional distribution centre.
“This is a massive investment in the area, an investment that has already seen around 300 jobs created for local people.
“The Co-operative saw the benefits this site offered in terms of its location, its infrastructure and the enormous potential it has for further development or expansion and having such a well renowned business such as The Co-operative on this site will help us attract more businesses to the area, which in turn will help us create more job opportunities and wealth for local people.”
