Warehouse Transformation Awards 2025 – winners revealed

Pictured is Tony Mannix, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award

THE WAREHOUSE Transformation Awards is dedicated to honouring the people and teams who are at the cutting edge of achieving results in the warehouse and logistics sector as we go through a period of unprecedented transformation.

We celebrated teams who have transformed warehousing operations for the better and excelled in terms of efficiency, safety, resilience, space optimisation and much else.

We celebrated people and teams have gone over and above in their efforts, and we highlighted warehouse properties that act as beacons for others to follow.

Logistics Matters Editor Simon Duddy commented: “Congratulations to all the winners and also to all who made the shortlist as you thoroughly deserve the recognition for all you do in the logistics sector.”

THE WINNERS:

Warehouse Transformation of the Year

WINNER

The Works

The Works boosted DC productivity, reduced safety incidents by 75% and cut issues with delivery by 85% due to a transformation that involved switching from static pallet picking to mobile pallet picking.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

XPO Logistics and Saint Gobain UK

The Wakefield Northern Distribution Centre is a dedicated operation for Saint Gobain UK run by XPO Logistics. It was transformed from a printworks to a 216,000 sq ft bulk stacked warehouse to excel as a buffer for British Gypsum manufacturing plants.

COMMENDED

Prologis Essentials and Russell & Bromley

The implementation of Prologis Essentials enabled Russell & Bromley to seamlessly relocate operations, within schedule and budget.

COMMENDED

Russell Warehousing

Russell Warehousing took on and revamped a facility in Stepps, Scotland greatly improving efficiency.

Logistics Integration of the Year

WINNER

John Lewis with Logistex

John Lewis revamped its 1 million sq ft Fenny Lock DC with Logistex providing valuable logistics integration in a complex, multi-faceted project that had a transformative impact.

Space Optimisation Project Award

WINNER

Portwest Clothing

Workwear firm Portwest Clothing doubled storage capacity within the same warehouse footprint, with support from technology partners Daifuku and Element Logic.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

UK Radiators

Online retailer UK Radiators used Project Swift Pick to boost storage capacity by 25% and increase picking efficiency by 15%.

Sustainable Operations Award

WINNER

Ark-H Handling

The Green Fulfilment Initiative from Ark-H Handling has reduced operational emissions by 27% and cut packaging waste by 88%. With Net Zero by 2050 the ultimate aim, Ark-H Handling is making great progress.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

DSV

The DSV entry excelled showing genuine commitment to sustainable operations.

The Resilience Award

WINNER

Morrisons

Morrisons achieved a truly remarkable recovery by restoring WMS across seven locations in just 10 days after a total system failure due to a cyber attack. This is a great exemplar of innovation, teamwork and precision.

Safer Logistics Award

WINNER

Baumann Sideloaders

Baumann’s SafeLoad Assistance uses sensors to assist operators in ensuring their sideloaders operate efficiently and safely, avoiding the potentially tragic consequences of over-loading.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

GMR Safety

GMR Safety’s Power Chock AUTO boosts safety by minimising driver involvement while securing vehicles at the loading dock.

New Build Warehouse of the Year

WINNER

Apollo Fire Detectors

The new Apollo Fire Detectors Distribution Centre in Havant was a clear winner, showing enhanced sustainability, expanded despatch space and increased pallet capacity with plenty of space to grow.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Beyond

Property developer Beyond caught the eye with the next generation EPMK campus in Milton Keynes.

Refurbished Warehouse of the Year

WINNER

Swift Fulfillment

The warehouse refurbishment and extension carried out by Swift Ecommerce Fulfillment at its Grimsby premises has increased capacity, doubled daily order processing and led to reduced goods-in times, all of which enabled the fulfilment expert to provide better service to a fast-paced and demanding market.

Sustainable Warehouse of the Year

WINNER

DSV

DSV wins the Sustainable Warehouse of the Year award for its BREEAM Outstanding warehouse facility in Brackmills. Its energy-efficient infrastructure, renewable energy solutions, and biodiversity projects align perfectly with DSV’s global sustainability strategy.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Greenbox

Developer Greenbox excited judges with an ESG-led platform focused on sustainable Grade A unit space.

Logistics Professional of the Year

WINNER

Natalie Mitchell, Operations Director, Life Couriers UK

An inspirational leader, Natalie Mitchell oversees operations at healthcare logistics firm Life Couriers UK, spearheading its innovative Direct-to-Patient Delivery Service of medical essentials.

Logistics Team of the Year

WINNER

Harrison Spinks

The logistics team at mattress firm Harrison Spinks pulled out all the stops to streamline its delivery operation, with every detail meticulously planned, ensuring mattresses are despatched within 48 hours of manufacture.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Dryad Education

Teamwork, innovation, and employee loyalty shone through in this entry from The Dryad Education Warehouse Team.

Rising Star

WINNER

Emil Zidaru, Fin Sustainable Logistics

Head of Operations Emil Zidaru led a transformative WMS implementation for Fin Sustainable Logistics micro-fulfillment hubs. At just 28, Emil has demonstrated exceptional vision and execution, delivering results that surpass industry benchmarks.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Holly Menzies, Harrison Spinks

Holly Menzies played a pivotal role for UK exporter Harrison Spinks by developing a storage and distribution operation to support sales into North America.

Unsung Hero Award

WINNER

Paul Bell, CorrBoard UK

Yard Operative Paul Bell has excelled at CorrBoard UK, positively impacting on the bottom line, becoming a mentor to others and is overall a trusted and greatly valued member of the team.

Lifetime Achievement Award

WINNER

Tony Mannix
Our winner is best known for building Clipper Logistics into a modern, value-added 3PL that blazed a trail in retail, ultimately resulting in the sale of Clipper to GXO in 2022. Following the Clipper acquisition our winner took up the post of Strategic Advisor – Retail Logistics at GXO. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate last year by Sheffield Hallam University in recognition of his impact on the sector and the support he continues to offer via their highly successful GXO management degree apprenticeship scheme.
At a time when many major retail brands and players were struggling with the seismic changes eCommerce brought, think HMV and others, our winner not only coped, he innovated, setting the standard for others to follow. Not only has he had an outstanding career, he has long been a magnanimous supporter to colleagues throughout the industry. This generosity is further exemplified by roles in Fresh Start initiatives for the creation of job opportunities for ex offenders, people with mental and physical challenges and others who have faced barriers to employment.
For these reasons, we are proud to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Tony Mannix!