Marks & Spencer has agreed to purchase a warehouse from online retailer Asos in Staffordshire, a move expected to create 600 jobs and bolster its plans to double online sales.
The 437,000 square foot site in Lichfield is set to become one of M&S’s largest distribution centres upon its opening in 2027. M&S stated the facility will add capacity, allowing quicker order processing to achieve its long-term target of doubling its online fashion, home, and beauty business.
Asos mothballed the warehouse in 2023 as part of an overhaul to reduce stock, cut costs, and improve profitability. While a few hundred workers were employed there, Asos clarified they were not directly employed by the group.
“The new site will support the strategy to deliver more of M&S fashion faster than ever before, enabling customers to order later in the day and with more sizes and styles available,” the chain said.
John Lyttle, managing director for fashion, home and beauty, added: “As we transform M&S fashion, home and beauty, our ambition is to double online sales.
“To achieve this and serve our customers faster, more efficiently and with better availability, our 24/7 distribution network needs more capacity.”
He said the move would help with its transformation plans at a lower cost than building a site from scratch.
Asos said it will receive at least £66 million in proceeds from the warehouse sale and save around £6 million in costs each year, such as rent.
This will lead to a one-off profit boost of about £85 million when the deal completes, which is expected by the end of August.
The firm said its remaining warehouses in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and Berlin will “provide sufficient capacity to support future growth”.
Asos chief executive Jose Antonio Ramos said: “The disposal of our Lichfield fulfilment centre represents a further step in strengthening Asos’s balance sheet and improving our capital efficiency.
“This transaction enables us to unlock value from one of our non-core assets while reducing our ongoing cost base, consistent with the actions we have taken over the past three years to simplify the business and enhance financial resilience.”
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