500 jobs at risk as H&M relocates distribution centre

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Mar 3, 2020

Swedish retail giant H&M is pulling out of its warehouse near Stoke-on-Trent to relocate to a new site in Milton Keynes.

The move puts about 500 jobs at risk of redundancy at the XPO-operated distribution centre at Radial Point, Sideway in Stoke-on-Trent. The site currently employs about 129 XPO workers and nearly 400 agency workers.

Affected XPO employees will be offered the option to transfer to the new H&M warehouse, which is set to open later this year. Spreading over nearly 800,000 sq ft, the logistics hub is expected to create 800 jobs.

A spokesperson for H&M and XPO said: “The service currently carried out by XPO at the Radial Point site in Stoke will transfer to the new H&M site in Milton Keynes.

“H&M and XPO continue to work closely to find and discuss suitable solutions for those currently employed by XPO and working on the H&M account. Affected XPO employees have been offered the option to transfer to the new H&M site at Milton Keynes.

"Our development teams are looking to try to find another customer to replace H&M. Unfortunately if another customer is not found then the warehouse will be empty.”

The new facility in Milton Keynes will serve online customers and H&M stores across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. H&M said the site will incorporate a number of technologies to achieve a more flexible and efficient product flow.