Construction giant JCB plans warehouse move

The warehouse in Stoke-on-Trent became JCB's main central logistics hub in 2014

JCB is set to leave its main logistics base in Stoke-on-Trent, for a larger site near East Midlands Airport.

More than 200 people work at the Stoke-on-Trent warehouse, and all those affected by the plan will be offered the chance to move, the construction equipment firm said.

The World Logistics facility has been in use for a decade, but can now only store 50% of the parts the UK factories need, JCB said, adding that having multiple storage sites was not sustainable long-term.

The firm is planning to move out of the warehouse near Tunstall by early 2025.

A JCB spokesman said the current base was commissioned in 2014 and since then the firm had almost doubled the number of machines it manufactures, meaning it had been at full capacity for the past five years.

It said this had meant using multiple sites to store parts.

Moving to a larger site was "essential", it said, and would provide capacity for future growth plans.

It plans to consolidate its warehouse operations at the East Midlands Gateway Logistics Park.

"JCB World Logistics is operated by our logistics partners and they are working closely with employees and the GMB Union to discuss redeployment opportunities," the spokesman added.