Sainsbury's has announced plans for a new distribution site in Bromley-By-Bow in East London.

The 'online fulfilment centre' will be dedicated to meet growing demand in the London and south-east area when it opens in a few years. The 185,000 sq ft facility will create 375 jobs and serve 20,000 customers weekly.

In September, the company reported annual sales of online groceries amounting to £1 billion. Its online service now has 190,000 weekly customers with yearly purchases increasing by 15 per cent.

Director of online, digital and cross-channel Jon Rudoe said: "The site will be purpose built with the Sainsbury’s customer in mind and will support our existing store based operation, something that will continue to be the foundation of our online grocery business."

The chain most orders will still be picked from its available supermarkets, but states the new facility enables it to keep up with increasing demand.