Gazeley delivers on time and again for John Lewis

New best in class regional distribution centre at flagship UK site completed on time and on budget and handed over to another happy customer.

Gazeley a leading global investor and developer of logistics warehouses and distribution parks has today announced the completion of a brand new 670,000 sq ft ecommerce distribution centre handed over on time and on budget for leading UK retailer John Lewis.

The building, John Lewis’s second at Magna Park Milton Keynes, took just 24 weeks to construct and will be occupied on a 30 year lease. Sitting on a 25 acre site, it is connected by a link bridge to the first John Lewis building of 650,000 sq ft also built by Gazeley in 2007.  It serves as one of the largest link bridges of its kind in the UK, weighing 153 tonnes and spanning 93 meters, one and a half times the wing span of a Boeing 747.  Both buildings together provide John Lewis with over 1.3 million sq ft of sustainable floor-space dedicated to the fulfilment of its fast expanding omni-channel retail business.

Gazeley handed the building over to John Lewis on 28th February and the building is currently being fitted out. It is expected to become operational by the spring of 2015 and will employ 450 people from the surrounding area.

Speaking about the completion of the project UK Country Director Alex Verbeek said: “Our relationship with John Lewis goes back many years and we are very pleased to have been chosen again to deliver this brand new facility and fuel their next phase of growth. When fully operational this building will service John Lewis’s fast expanding customer service offer in the UK.

Also speaking about the handover Dino Rocos, Operations Director John Lewis said: “Magna Park Milton Keynes is our flagship UK distribution site and plays a key role in the development of our successful omni-channel distribution strategy.  Gazeley are a key partner to the business and have once again demonstrated their ability to deliver on time and on budget for the John Lewis Partnership”