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DP World to open UK’s biggest music centre

[ August 15, 2023   //   ]

DP World will open the UK’s largest distribution warehouse for physical music and video in August. Located in Bicester, Oxfordshire, the facility is being launched in partnership with Utopia Distribution Services, which signed a £100 million deal with DP World to provide warehousing and logistics for physical music goods in the UK earlier this year.

The 25,000 sq. metre site will now become the de-facto centre for music and home entertainment distribution in the UK, handling 70% of physical music and 35% of home entertainment products sold in the UK annually – approximately 30 million units, including vinyl records, DVDs and CDs. It will service retailers across the UK, including Amazon, HMV, industry wholesalers and over 400 independent record stores.

The warehouse will be able to handle over 100,000 units a day, increasing to over 250,000 during peak periods, driven by 80+ pick robots, employing 240 workers.

Online media has not killed demand for physical music and video in the UK, with 17.3m albums sold in 2022, with CDs comprising the majority of purchases (55.2%). Vinyl also continues its rise with 5.5m records aold last year and currently remains on track for a 16th consecutive year of growth.

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