Construction starts on Avonmouth distribution centre

More than 1,500t of structural steelwork is being erected for a huge new £20M regional distribution centre for The Co-operative Group in Avonmouth.

Caunton Engineering is carrying out the steelwork fabrication, supply and erection, working on behalf of main contractor Volker Fitzpatrick on a design and supply contract.

The 40,282m² depot is 17m high and measures 280m long × 132m wide, and comprises of 35 × 8m bays with three 44m wide portal spans. The overall structure also includes an energy centre and an operations office block.

Located at Cabot Park, the warehouse will incorporate 16,400m² of cold storage and a 20,560m² racking zone for non perishable goods. When it opens later this year The Co-operative Group will be able to despatch approximately 1.4M cases of food each week to around 450 stores in the south west and South Wales.

Mark Leonard, The Co-operative Group Regional Head of Logistics, said: “The new distribution centre will provide a state of the art facility that will help us provide a first class service to our enlarged store estate.”

The structure will incorporate the highest standards of energy efficiency and is expected to achieve an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating.