Menzies Distribution opens new hub at Elgin Business Park
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MENZIES Distribution has officially opened a new state-of-the-art distribution hub at Elgin Business Park.
The 10,375sq ft building, just off the A96 on a one-acre site on the town's eastern edge, brings Menzies' operations in Elgin, Forres and Keith together under one roof.
The centre will service more than 2000 parcels, pallets and full loads daily for business-to-business and business-to-consumer customers.
Some 25 staff, including 22 drivers, will be based at the new facility, which will provide additional local employment in the coming months.
The company has also invested in a rebrand and new vehicles, including an expanded electric vehicle fleet.
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead, Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, formally opened the centre during a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday.
The site is powered entirely by clean and renewable energy sources. Four electric vehicle charging points have been installed, which are available for public use.
Operations manager Stephen Cameron said: "It will be a very busy depot. We'll be servicing around 2000-2500 parcels a day along with, in the very near future, a number of pallets as well.
"In terms of staff facilities it's a huge step forward from the sites we had in Elgin, Keith and Forres.
"Currently we're operating two electric vehicles in the area. We're looking to up this to four very quickly and to six by the end of the year.
"It will be a busy business park eventually so it's great for the area as well. It's a fantastic facility and massively positive for us.
"This will be a template that we're keen to roll out and we are looking to replicate this at other sites in the Highlands and Islands."
Stephen Mooney, Menzies parcels operations director, said the business was committed to growing its network in the north.
He added: "This latest investment is not only bringing new jobs to Elgin but will also support the growth and momentum we are seeing across the sectors we serve from news, retail and e-commerce, to packaging, healthcare, field engineering and food.
"As the pre-eminent Northern Highlands & Islands, Grampian and Argyll logistics provider, I’m particularly pleased that we will be able to make our electric vehicle charging points widely available and play a role in developing the charging ecosystem."
The site will cover the IV30, IV31, IV32 and IV36 postcodes along with Keith postcodes AB36, AB37, AB38, AB55 and AB56.
Mr Lochhead said: "It's great to see a company expanding in Elgin and building new state-of-the-art facilities.
"Given that only a few years ago we were talking about a lack of premises in Elgin for companies to expand and develop, it's a huge step forward we now have Elgin Business Park up and running, and new tenants here who are talking about growing their business and taking on more employees locally.
"Menzies Distribution is involved in delivering parcels to homes and businesses throughout the Highlands and Islands and Moray and this is even more important than ever before because businesses locally want to send products to elsewhere in the UK and overseas, and likewise more people are buying online and expect their purchases to be delivered locally. Menzies plays a crucial role in delivering that.
"I'm delighted to hear that the vehicles that will be delivering our parcels locally will be electric, which is really important for Scotland's transition to a green economy. And it's great that the public will be able to use the electric vehicle charging points.
"Menzies is showing real leadership in moving to a more sustainable model and supporting our communities to do likewise."
