Nursery retailer seeks transport partners as it opens Dewsbury warehouse

Baby and nursery retailer Kiddies Kingdom is looking for “multiple” transport partners as it announces the opening of a new distribution warehouse in Dewsbury off the back of an online sales surge.

The company currently partners with DPD Local but, after experiencing rapid growth in online demand during the Covid-19 pandemic, it said this week it is planning to take on more logistics partners.

A spokeswoman told motortransport.co.uk: “Transport is currently with DPD Local but the company is looking to increase to multiple carriers in the next few months, which will be in line with the new distribution centre.”

The new 47,864sq ft unit, which will be fully operational by January 2021, is Kiddies Kingdom’s largest warehouse and will consolidate the firm’s existing seven other warehouses into one space.

The facility, which is equipped with the latest racking system and intelligent stock movement technology, will provide additional capacity following a rapid rise in online demand over the course of the year.

The Dewsbury-based retailer, which stocks over 200 brands, has seen sales rise by 40% in the past 12 months.

Mohammed Patel, MD of Kiddies Kingdom, said: “Expanding our warehouse space is a crucial step in our growth strategy, so we can continue to support new and expectant parents at a time when they need us the most

“We have seen an influx of customers shopping online for their baby essentials and expanding our warehouse space will have a massive impact on the speed and efficiency of our operation.

“Increased storage will mean faster picking and packing as well as later cut off times for next day delivery options. We will have capacity to buy stock in much higher quantities which means more opportunity to offer deals and promotions on products.

He added: “As a team, we have had to adapt very quickly to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 lockdown and are proud to be taking this swift expansion in our stride.

“The acquisition of this new space demonstrates the serious investment we are making in our infrastructure to become the nations 'go to' point for baby shopping.

“The unit is set to be in full operation by January 2021 and is set to create a raft of employment in the local area.”