Property agent Lambert Smith Hampton is predicting rent rises in the logistics sector of up to 10 per cent in the coming year.

Handleman UK has taken Big Sam, Arlington and Barwood’s 274,700 sq ft cross-docked distribution centre at Wingates Industrial Estate in Bolton on a 10-year lease at an annual rent of £1.

Gazeley has announced that it will develop the world’s first carbon positive distribution warehouse at its Magna Park Milton Keynes scheme.

With Wincanton’s emergence last year as the UK’s largest publicly-quoted third party logistics provider, its chief executive is under more intense scrutiny than ever. He talks to Malory Davies.

In March 2004 VoiteQ completed a roll-out of its VoiceMan voice directed picking system which utilised Vocollect’s Talkman terminals for 50 WH Smith users on the warehouse floor.

Kruidvat, a Dutch health and beauty retailer and a subsidiary of the AS Watson group, is building an automated warehouse and picking system for its distribution operation in Heteren, The Netherlands.

Innovate Logistics has invested £2m to overhaul its warehouse management system throughout its sites.

CJ Lang & Son, the retailing and distribution company, serves over 45 per cent of Scotland’s independent market from its dedicated RDC in Dundee.

Order picking is a critical operation where delays and errors can cost you dear. However, there are now a range of technologies available to help. The difficult bit is choosing the right one. Malory Davies reports.

Duncan Smillie, managing director of the mobile computing company Psion Teklogix, believes that the shift towards a greater use of voice technology is probably one of the most significant events in the logistics industry at the moment.