John Lewis opened its new distribution facilities yesterday, which is set to take its industry-leading fulfilment offer to a new level.

The retailer has long been ahead of the game where delivery is concerned. One-third of John Lewis sales are currently made online, while two-thirds come from stores. The retailer online will account for half of sales by 2020.

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A John Lewis partner at Magna Park

Here’s a look at the impressive facts and figures behind John Lewis’s latest logistical innovation:

  • At 2.4m sq ft, the Magna Park campus – comprising three distribution centres – is one of the biggest in Europe
  • At peak, Magna Park’s distribution partners replenish three million units of shop stock each week
  • John Lewis has invested £250m in the campus
  • Its central location just outside Milton Keynes means that 46 million potential customers are within a 4.5 hr drive
  • 3,500 suppliers ship to Magna Park

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John Lewis HGVs lined up outside the distribution hub

  • Magna Park One, for small items, is equivalent to 13 football pitches
  • Magna Park Two, the hanging garments site, could fit 9,198 double-decker buses and operates on six levels
  • It stores 1.6 million garments and its automation sorts 5,000 products every hour
  • Up to 40% of hanging garments – such as dresses – can now be combined with a flat fashion item, such as a shirt
  • This reduces waste by 850,000 parcels and 190,000 driver miles
  • Magna Park Three, for big ticket items, is equivalent to 227 tennis courts
  • It’s John Lewis’s first ‘high cube’ warehouse and fulfils 10,000 orders every day at peak

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The hanging garments facility at Magna Park

  • The entire site will employ more than 1,250 partners at its peak
  • The John Lewis delivery network employs 2,000 partners
  • Those 2,000 partners will train at Magna Park, and are able to take any 80 courses to ensure they can fulfil customer needs. These courses range from installing lights and setting up smart home technology, to assembling furniture and tuning TVs