Fears for warehouse jobs after Arcadia acquired by ASOS

ASOS told Handling & Storage Solutions magazine that ‘we aren’t picking up the Arcadia warehouses as we have one already in Barnsley and are creating another one in Lichfield’.

The Arcadia Group went into administration in November. The group ran three warehouses – in Rugby, Daventry and Milton Keynes. 

The sites are expected to stay open for the time being to process existing orders and returns. 

Administrator Deloitte is seeking buyers for the warehouse assets.

On Monday, online retailer ASOS bought the four Arcadia Group retail brands Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT for £265 million, in a deal that does not include physical stores or warehouses.

In a statement ASOS explained: “Our international warehouse infrastructure and localised online experiences will support continued growth through our own platform.

“Our familiarity with these brands and our experience developing and running in house brands, together with our well-developed technology and warehouse infrastructure, gives us confidence in our ability to execute the transition with as little disruption as possible.”

ASOS announced in January that it will invest £90m in a new 437,000 square feet fulfilment centre in Lichfield, Staffordshire, which it expects will be operational within 12 months, allowing for a gradual ramp up with testing to meet the capacity required for peak trade in 2023.