Marks & Spencer (M&S) has opened a massive new distribution centre that will be used to handle online orders made by customers all over the UK.

The 900,000 sq ft complex is based in Castle Donington - which is nicely placed in the East Midlands, allowing for easy access to the rest of the country. 

Some 1,200 people will be employed at the facility during peak times and the fully automated site will hold 16 million products. It will be capable of processing one million items a day.

Chief finance officer at M&S Alan Stewart insisted the retailer was transforming its supply chain operations to ensure they are fit for the future.

"We're extremely proud of Castle Donington, it's among the best of its kind in the world and our focus is now on delivering the rest of our modernisation programme," he remarked.

A number of firms have been looking at purchasing new warehouses in order to cope with the online shopping boom.

The Co-operative Group recently opened a new £22 million distribution centre in north Derbyshire, which was the culmination of a project aimed at overhauling the company's logistics network.