Aftonbladet reports that McDonald's has a new 130,000 square foot distribution centre at Symmetry Park in Darlington. According to the report, the distribution centre supplies more than 200 restaurants across the North East. The warehouse stocks more than 400 different products from more than 70 suppliers, with the biggest stock of a single item being a mammoth supply of French fries.
The distribution centre has three sections: ambient storage, chilled store, and freezer store. There is a warm room for staff to heat up when on breaks from the freezer store. Delivery vans line up in one of the 25 bays outside the warehouse.
Most products are usually only stocked for about eight-to-ten hours before heading out again. There are 2,800 pallets in the ambient storage, 650 pallets in the chilled store, and 1,882 pallets in the freezer. The warehouse uses projected zebra crossings and stop signs on the floor to alert staff when to stop as someone exits the freezer doors on machines nearby.
The distribution centre is one of just five across the UK, with others in North Hampshire, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire, and Dublin. It is the first distribution centre in the North East. The centre will serve restaurants as far south as York and potentially the Humber, and as north as the Scottish borders and Edinburgh.
The project was first envisaged around 2023 before real work got underway in the last two years. It was only last week that it was confirmed as being linked to McDonald's. Staff say the site could see up to 27 trailers leave daily.
Vans will not only be taking out products but will be returning cardboard and cooking oil for recycling. Parv Sangera, managing director at Martin Brower UK and Ireland, which runs the site, says staff and community are at the core of the new centre. Flags from across the world adorn the walls of the warehouse, representing the backgrounds of all the staff members.
There will be more than 200 team members at the centre. The team has already carried out 2,000 hours of volunteering with local charities, including at Hopetown Museum. Councillor Stephen Harker, leader of Darlington Borough Council, was very positive about the community involvement.
The exact opening date of the distribution centre has not been disclosed. The total investment cost for building this distribution centre remains unknown.