Parcel specialist Hermes is to open two depots in the South East as it prepares for the Christmas peak.
A 52,000 ft² warehouse in West Thurrock, Essex, will be located between Lakeside Shopping Centre and the QE2 Bridge near to the A13 and M25.
Hermes will create 60 new jobs at the site in management, administration, warehousing and driver roles.
The second site in Maidstone, Kent, will replace its exisiting depot in Rochester, doubling warehousing capacity in the area to 32,017 ft². It will handle a minimum throughput of 40,000 parcels a night.
Hermes UK chief executive Carole Woodhead says: “We are experiencing considerable increases in parcel volumes within the south east of England, so we needed to increase capacity within the region to meet current and future requirements.
“These latest developments are part of a nationwide initiative that will see a number of enhancements to our depot and hub network in the build up to the peak Christmas period,” she adds.