DPD set to open £150m parcel hub in Leicestershire

DPD’s £150m parcel hub in Hinckley, Leicestershire will be fully operational ahead of the Black Friday and Christmas period, the parcel delivery group has confirmed.

The depot is the company’s fifth in the UK and one of the largest fully-automated domestic parcel hubs in Europe.

DPD said Hub 5, close to junction 1 of the M69, was also its most eco-friendly and technologically advanced, featuring a Solar PV system with over 6,000 panels, providing an output of 2.4MW.

The power generated will enable the hub offices to operate off grid during daytime working hours, with excess power exported back to the national grid to supply green energy.

The main hub is over 500m long, 42m wide and occupies a 40-acre site. DPD added that 3,000 metres of conveyor will enable the hub team to sort 72,000 parcels per hour.

Justin Pegg, DPD COO, said: “To have Hub 5 open and fully operational going into the Black Friday and Christmas period is fantastic news for the operation and for our customers.

“Our giant hubs in Hinckley and those in the West Midlands give us the capacity and the flexibility we need to manage the significant volume and the major peaks at this time of year.”