GXO has expanded its partnership with Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F Co), managing the fashion retailer’s UK e-commerce fulfillment and returns from its dedicated, newly refurbished 170,000-square-foot facility near London.
The expansion follows the success of GXO’s partnership with A&F Co in the United States, where the company operates a high-tech distribution centre featuring advanced automation and goods-to-person robotics, intelligent analytics and AI.
Gavin Williams, GXO’s managing director for UK and Ireland, said: “After successfully launching a major warehouse operation in the US last year, we’re excited to bring Abercrombie & Fitch to the UK with a dedicated warehouse, underpinned by our WMS, to seamlessly manage their fulfilment and returns.
“Our facility puts stock closer to Abercrombie & Fitch’s UK consumers, improving delivery and returns processing speeds and reducing environmental impact. This is a long-term, global partnership, and we’re looking forward to supporting their growth plans in the UK.”
By moving services to the UK, GXO said A&F Co will expand its ecommerce offering, increase service flexibility and reduce inventory concentration, by placing it at one location.
GXO currently employs a team of 60 at the site, who provide picking, packing and sortation services using modular technology, with plans to more than quadruple that number in line with Abercrombie & Fitch’s growth plans.
In addition, GXO will process returns within 48 hours of receipt, speeding up the availability of goods for resale, while reducing waste and delivering “significant”, the company said. GXO also plans to increase automation and adaptive technology to improve efficiency and quality.
Larry Grischow, EVP Supply Chain of A&F Co, said, “Staying close to our customers is top priority at A&F Co. By expanding our partnership, GXO will support our efforts to improve ecommerce experiences for customers globally.
“We are confident that the additional fulfillment capacity will improve speed and the overall omnichannel shopping experience for our UK customers.”
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