UK. Jet2.com has unveiled a multi-million pound retail operations centre in Middlewich, Cheshire.
Described as the first centre of its kind in the UK aviation industry, the facility is intended to introduce new standards for customer-first service, efficiency and security, the company noted.
The centre was built as a response to the supplier disruption challenges that affected the aviation industry in Summer 2022 post the pandemic.
The 13,900sq m facility will serve as the airline’s centre to stock, manage and distribute millions of inflight retail products. Goods being managed here include drinks and non-perishable food that can either be pre-ordered, or which feature in the airline’s inflight menu.
Other products on the site include items from the onboard shop, such as fragrances, beauty products, gifts and core duty free items.
Jet2.com noted that in a typical year, it expects more than 25 million items to flow through the centre to be loaded onto its growing fleet of aircraft.
The centre is equipped with modern technology including four cart x-ray scanners that will be used to screen all the items in just six minutes. Products will be securely stored, picked and loaded onto the thousands of bar carts, which will then be distributed to Jet2.com’s UK airport bases by a fleet of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays branded trailers.
The company said the retail operations centre has undergone a stringent security process to comply with the regulations and has been certified by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The opening generated 300 new jobs including positions in shift operations, warehouse operations, security and inventory control. Employees at the centre will work across two shifts to ensure it supports Jet2.com’s flying programme around the clock.
Wincanton Logistics will be in charge of the distribution from the facility to UK airport bases while Gate Gourmet will serve as the company’s new last mile provider to load catering airside.
The company has named John Davis as the Director of Retail to lead this area of the business reporting to Commercial & Revenue Director Adam Mulroy.
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays CEO Steve Heapy said: “Industry-leading customer service is a critical driver of our continued success, so we are absolutely delighted to be applying that to our in-flight retail operation. The opening of this multi-million pound retail operations centre is a first for UK aviation and we know that this pioneering step will provide the very best service for our customers.”
He added: “This innovation represents a material investment in our operation and an enormous amount of work has gone into developing a world-class and industry-leading facility. The opening has created hundreds of new jobs too, and we are thrilled to welcome our new colleagues and look forward to them playing a critical role as we continue to succeed and grow.” ✈
