The UK’s second largest postal services provider will be relocating its 370-staff Leeds and Warrington operations, both of which were housed in premises that were coming to the end of their leases. Around 500 will be employed at the new site.
Employees at the former Warrington and Leeds sites are in consultation and being given the opportunity to take jobs at the new depot, and a local recruitment exercise in conjunction with Bolton Council will begin in March. The majority of those being recruited will be warehouse operatives.
The 21,000sqm depot, which has a 10-year lease, will be fully operational by July. It is on M&G Real Estate’s Logistics 225 unit at Harworth Group’s flagship Logistics North development, the seventh new company to move into the development in the past three years.
M&G funded the building of the new unit, which completed in December 2016 prior to Whistl confirming its move.
Whistl chief executive Nick Wells said: “We are excited by the opportunity that Bolton will give us to further increase the efficiency of our operations and to also grow our team by working with Bolton Council to provide opportunities for the long-term unemployed in the area.
“The leases on our Leeds and Warrington sites were coming up for renewal, which led us to review our operational network. By consolidating these operations on one site, it will enable efficiencies and room for future expansion.”
He added that it was the transport links, with the site having immediate access to Junction 4 of the M61, which made it such an attractive proposition.
Bolton Council leader Cliff Morris said the news is great for local people and will be of “tremendous benefit to our town and residents”. Other companies that have taken up leases on premises at Logistics North in the last few years include Aldi, MDBA and Joy Global.
£600m turnover-Whistl has five other depots in the UK, in Glasgow, Northern Ireland, Bristol, Iver (Buckinghamshire) and Rugby. Its head office is in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
Last year, it secured a number of contract wins and renewals, including a five-year contract to handle all government and public sector post in Northern Ireland.
