Downton opens £10 million distribution centre

Downton - one of the UK’s leading independent transport and logistics companies - has invested £10 million in a new import and distribution centre near Gloucester.

The 120,000 sq ft purpose built facility sits on an 8 acre freehold site at Quedgeley, just south of the city of Gloucester, less than a mile from junction 12 of the M5 motorway, and around two miles from the Downton headquarters at Moreton Valence.

The highly flexible facility encompasses a Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) operation, featuring computerised radio controlled man-up fork lift trucks, together with a mix of wide aisles and a re-work/packing area. It has six goods inward bays and eight loading docks, and will be used primarily for the import reception and national distribution of branded electronics goods.

Richard Downton, finance director of Downton said: “While these are not the best economic times, we enjoy the benefit of being a privately owned family business and have always pursued a long term investment strategy. We have recently enjoyed significant business wins and this has more than off set the slow down within certain sectors. This major new facility will also place us in a good position to emerge quickly and more strongly when the economy improves.

The company operates in a number of major market sectors: magazine distribution, beverages, paper, electronics, white goods and FMCG.