DP World said it is prepared for a significant spike in volumes at its Bicester logistics facility ahead of ‘Record Store Day’, an annual global event held to celebrate independent record shops.
The 270,000ft² site, recognised as the UK’s largest physical music distribution hub, is expected to ship more than 210,000 vinyl records across over 230 releases to independent retailers nationwide for the annual event on Saturday, 18 April.
The surge reflects growing demand for vinyl across the UK. In 2025, DP World handled a record eight million vinyl units, up by more than one million year-on-year. Overall, more than 15 million records have been shipped from the Bicester hub since its operations began in 2023.
Across all formats, including CDs, the facility processed more than 21 million units in 2025, with a third of these in the final quarter of the year.
Angela Howard, vice president contract logistics, North Europe, DP World said: “Record Store Day is a moment for the music industry to celebrate the record shops we serve and the enduring popularity of vinyl and physical formats.”
She added that the Bicester operation deploys more than 80 autonomous picking robots working alongside people to manage high-volume, time-sensitive distribution to retailers.
Kim Bayley, chief executive, ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association, added: “Record Store Day is the single, most important day in the calendar for independent record shops in the UK and is bigger than Christmas, so DP World is fundamental to all UK retailers getting physical products in their stores.”
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