Ocado, ‘the world’s largest dedicated online grocery retailer’, is to open a new customer service centre at The Beam, a flagship 59,427sq ft building at the heart of Sunderland’s city centre, with the creation of up to 300 jobs.
Ocado will become the first company to locate on the former site of the Vaux Brewery.
The decision to open at The Beam, according to company chiefs, was cemented after they were ‘bowled over by the fantastic amenities’ available at The Beam and the city’s reputation as one of the country’s leading customer service hubs.
Ocado announced the creation of an online grocery retail joint venture with Marks & Spencer plc in February. The new jobs will provide key customer service support to the JV, and this investment in a new facility in Sunderland is yet another milestone for the company.
The Beam is part of a £500m city centre vision, with the wider city investment total standing at more than £1.5bn to 2030. As well as the former Vaux Brewery site, the city council is planning major improvements to other parts of the city centre, as well as increased leisure facilities that will create an exciting place to live, work and visit.
Ian Pattle, General Manager – Customer Service and Strategy at Ocado, commented, “We’re pleased to be coming to Sunderland as we grow our market leading customer service proposition. The new Contact Centre will support our existing service and we look forward to welcoming new talent from the local area to our team.”
Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said the announcement was ‘hugely significant for Sunderland’. He went on, “Ocado’s decision to invest in The Beam is absolutely fantastic news not only for Sunderland but for the entire North East region.
“The company is one of the most innovative and progressive in the world when it comes to ecommerce and for Sunderland to be chosen as the base of its newest office is a sign of just how attractive a proposition our city has become over the past few years.
“We have built a fantastic relationship with Ocado over the course of the last year, and we will build on that to ensure they’re supported to make their new Sunderland base an overwhelming success. We couldn’t be happier that we’ve attracted such an exceptional brand to our city centre and we look forward to supporting them as they build a team and grow from here.”
He added, “It’s been a long time coming, but this is the start of the Vaux site springing back to life. As a council we have backed the city centre with public sector investment, and today’s news demonstrates how that is attracting increased private sector investment.
'With the latest figures showing £1.5bn being invested in the city, and £500m of that going into the city centre, this is a big step in the transformation of Sunderland as we build a more healthy, vibrant and dynamic city.'