Power Tool World, one of the UK’s leading online retailers of professional tools, is to invest up to £5m in a new 36,000 sq ft automated warehouse facility in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.
The move will more than double the company’s footprint as it scales up operations following double-digit year-on-year growth.
The company currently operates across two sites totalling 15,000 sq ft. The addition of a third facility will transform its fulfilment capabilities, integrating best-in-class automation technology to speed up deliveries to its UK-wide customer base.
The rapid growth follows a strategic turnaround led by managing director Liam Rafferty, who joined the business just over a year ago.
Under Rafferty’s leadership, Power Tool World has restructured key operations across e-commerce, procurement, IT and data analysis.
The changes have helped increase revenue from £40m to a forecast £58m this year.
Rafferty said: “Year one for me was about getting the foundations right across people, process and technology.
“We traded our way out of an uncomfortable position, fixed the retail and operational basics and built a structure the business could actually scale from. Now we are ready to push on.
“This new warehouse isn’t just about capacity; it’s about putting us right at the top of what is possible in our market through technology and automation.
“My personal ambition is to build something great for the region, creating high-quality, secure jobs and a North East business we can all be proud of as we approach our 30th anniversary.”
Established in 1997, the business now employs 50 people and processes between 800 and 1,500 orders a day across its two existing Newton Aycliffe sites. Construction of its third, automated facility is now under way.