Abercrombie & Fitch awards UK eComm operations to GXO

THE OPERATION will be managed from GXO’s dedicated, newly refurbished 170,000 sq ft facility outside London. The expansion follows the success of GXO’s partnership with A&F Co. in the US where the company operates a high-tech distribution centre featuring advanced automation and goods-to-person robotics, intelligent analytics and AI.

GXO’s managing director, UK and Ireland Gavin Williams, says: “After successfully launching a major warehouse operation in the US last year, we’re excited to bring Abercrombie & Fitch to the UK with a dedicated warehouse, underpinned by our WMS, to seamlessly manage their fulfilment and returns. Our facility puts stock closer to Abercrombie & Fitch’s UK consumers, improving delivery and returns processing speeds and reducing environmental impact. This is a long-term, global partnership, and we’re looking forward to supporting their growth plans in the UK.”

By moving services to the U.K., Abercrombie & Fitch, the adult apparel brand of A&F Co., will expand its eCommerce offering, increase service flexibility and reduce inventory concentration from a sole location.

GXO currently employs over 60 team members at the site who provide picking, packing and sortation services using modular technology, with plans to more than quadruple that number in line with Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s growth plans. In addition, GXO will leverage its reverse logistics solutions to process returns within 48 hours of receipt, maximising value through recovery by making products available for resale, while reducing waste and delivering significant cost savings. GXO will also progressively implement goods-to-person automation and adaptive technology into the operations to improve efficiency and quality.

Larry Grischow, EVP Supply Chain of A&F Co., said: “Staying close to our customers is top priority at A&F Co. By expanding our partnership, GXO will support our efforts to improve eCommerce experiences for customers globally. We are confident that the additional fulfillment capacity will improve speed and the overall omnichannel shopping experience for our UK customers.”

In late 2021, GXO opened a new, highly automated 715,000-square-foot distribution center in Goodyear, Arizona that serves as Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s hub for its West Coast operations. The facility features hundreds of goods-to-person robots that process millions of items a year, while helping team members increase productivity and improve safety. GXO is also leveraging intelligent analytics, including AI and machine learning, to deliver fast, efficient distribution of products to customers.

In 2022, over half of GXO’s annual revenue came from customers that, like Abercrombie & Fitch Co., work with GXO in more than one country.