Marks & Spencer (M&S) and TGW Logistics have signed a contract for a new grocery fulfilment centre in Daventry, UK.
Slated for completion by the spring of 2029, the new hub will utilise robots to automate key tasks. The facility will feature an ambient temperature area and a chilled area, interconnected by an energy-efficient conveyor network.
The ambient area will comprise a high-bay pallet warehouse and a tray-based shuttle system, supported by a fleet of autonomous robots handling the transport of pallets from goods receiving into storage. Additional robots will manage the automatic compilation of roll cages for store replenishment.
The chilled area will also include a shuttle system for buffering and sequencing trays to automated dolly building machines.
“We are delighted to be accompanying Marks & Spencer as a partner on their automation journey,” said Joel Garbutt, chief sales officer for the Customer Unit North Europe at TGW Logistics. The deal represents one of the most significant orders in TGW’s 55-year history.
“Together, we have developed a solution that is geared to the future requirements of grocery retail and will set new standards in innovation and efficiency,” Garbutt added.
The new fulfilment centre is part of M&S’s £340 million multi-year investment in its food supply chain, announced in August 2025. M&S described development of the automated National Distribution Centre in Northamptonshire as “a key unlock in the ambition to double the size of the M&S Food business”.
Construction of the 1.3 million ft2 facility will create more than 2,000 jobs, with around 1,000 permanent logistics, management and technical roles anticipated once the Daventry distribution centre is fully operational.
M&S previously selected Prologis as the development partner for the project.
