International expansion drives fulfilmentcrowd to record year

Chorley-based logistics provider fulfilmentcrowd has posted record annual results after a year of international expansion.

A rise in online sales over the last 12 months has driven the company's revenues to a forecasted £12m, up 58 per cent on the £7.6m generated in 2019.

Over the last 12 months, the firm has also opened three new sites in Marton Fold, UK, Bocholt, Germany and Sandston, Virginia, USA. This includes the launch of a chilled logistics centre in Marton Fold, to serve the UK food, drink and health sectors.

The company now provides tailored order fulfilment services and technology to more than 400 UK and international online retailers. It employs 102 staff across 11 UK and global centres, including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the US, and manages more than 120,000 sq ft of warehouse space, processing more than 50,000 items per week.

fulfilmentcrowd invests £1.5m a year into the research and development of its proprietary cloud-based software platform which is powered by AI and facilitates marketplace integration, automated order processing and live order tracking.

Over the next 12 months, fulfilmentcrowd plans to expand its international network further by breaking into new ecommerce territories, with sites in the Middle East and Australasia already in negotiation. Due to the impact of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the subsequent restrictions on certain goods being exported from the UK into the EU, the organisation also expects a sharp increase in the number of new and existing UK based clients outsourcing storage and fulfilment via its European centres in Germany and the Netherlands.

Vanessa Ashworth, chief marketing officer at fulfilmentcrowd, said: "We have seen extraordinary levels of demand for our solution over the last 12 months, as businesses look to adapt their core models towards ecommerce offerings. Our technology platform has been crucial in enabling us to satisfy this demand, with continual investment made in research and development to ensure we provide the highest level of fulfilment to our customers.

"As businesses continue to digitise operations, we expect this growth to accelerate over the coming months, especially with our growing international network of warehouses and the launch of specialist services like chilled fulfilment."

• For further Lancashire business news, advice and analysis subscribe to Lancashire Business View or join the LBV Hub from just £2.50 per month. Click here to subscribe now.