New £6m centre set to help Co-op grow

An ambitious programme of expansion and improvement is being planned by a major retailer, tied closely to a new Highland distribution centre that will be officially launched next month.

The Co-op is set to open the new £6 million Dalcross Distribution Centre at Inverness Airport Business Park (IABP), on Thursday August 9, which is being hailed by the group as the start of an exciting new era for the convenience retailer in northern Scotland.

The 12,000 sq ft bespoke development, which will be home to 50 staff, will service the Co-op’s extensive network of stores in the region and will also help allow future store expansion across the Highlands and beyond.

The Co-op has 18 new stores planned for Scotland by the end of 2018, with upgrades planned to a further 20, as part of a £28 million expansion and renovation plan. This will take its total Scottish stores to 365 and the number of Co-op employees to almost 6000.

The new facility will be serviced by double decker vehicles as opposed to single decker, resulting in fewer journeys reducing CO2 emissions and eliminating 1800 road miles per day.

Andy Perry, logistics director of the Co-op, said: "We’re thrilled to be able to launch our new site at Dalcross – it’s a modern and future-proofed facility which is perfectly placed to support the Co-op’s ever-growing operations in Scotland.

"Our significant investment is also a symbol of our absolute commitment to serving communities in the north of Scotland, as well as a strong indicator of how well our food business is performing in this area. We have ambitious plans to continue to open new stores and Dalcross will ensure we continue to serve our members and customers in the Highlands and Islands for years to come."

James Campbell, Inverness Airport Business Park chairman, said: "Inverness Airport Business Park is delighted to welcome its first occupier to the phase one site.

"The speed at which this development has progressed has been hugely impressive with the Co-op’s project team only arriving onsite in October 2017.

"Plot 2/1 has gone through a major transformation in a very short space of time and it’s testament to the Co-op and their contractors for the excellent job that has been done in developing this new 12,000 sq ft distribution centre.

"The delivery of the strategic infrastructure at phase one is now complete and we have serviced land immediately available for development.

"We hope to be in a position to make further announcements on new-build developments at IABP in the near future and look forward to welcoming new occupiers to join the Co-op at the phase one site."