Ocado has said it is “delighted” to be returning to Andover following news that its distribution centre rebuild is nearing completion, with staff to begin returning to the building “imminently”.

Matt Whitwell, the general manager of Ocado, said that the company has “a huge emotional connection” to the town, and is “seeking to capture the magic” of the original facility.

The distribution centre was destroyed in a “devastating” fire in 2019, and is set to begin reopening in phases from the spring. The centre will be fully operational from Autumn 2021.

Ocado first opened their hub in the town in November 2016, with the facility costing millions of pounds to construct. However, just over two years later, the centre was destroyed after an electrical fault caused the whole building to be burnt to the ground.

Planning permission for the rebuild was subsequently granted in February 2020, and the Advertiser revealed last week that the warehouse itself will reopen in the Spring.

Ocado said that the shell of the building is now complete, with only the yard and access left to be completed. Internal work is well underway, with office staff set to move into the building “imminently.”

While the new building will be smaller than the previous site by some 8,000 square feet, the company says that advances in technology since 2016 will allow the site to be used more efficiently, delivering up to 59,000 orders per week. The original was the first of its kind, with experience from sites that followed feeding back into the design of the new building.

One such new development is a large acoustic barrier around the site to limit noise emissions to the surrounding area, along with ecological improvements including bird boxes, bat boxes and dormice habitats on the plot.

Ocado said that 1700 people will be employed once the facility is fully open, including warehouse operatives, managers, engineers and tech support. 200 employees who worked at the former site have so far registered their interest in returning after roles were made available to all former employees, a number of whom were made redundant in the months following the fire.

The company says it “delighted to be fully returning to Andover and looks forward to continuing to play an active role in the community,” having supported 40 local charities in recent years.

Matt Whitwell, the general manager of the Ocado Group, said:

“I am so proud of everyone at Ocado Group that has come together and put such a huge amount of time, effort and love into the last two years of rebuilding the Andover CFC. I would like to thank all my colleagues who have contributed to a project unlike any other, and a special mention to those in Delivery Operations who have continued to serve the local area throughout this time. There is a huge emotional connection for so many of us returning to Andover seeking to capture the magic of what we had before, as well as improving our employee experience and operational effectiveness, wherever we can. We are almost there, and we cannot wait to open our doors and send out the first orders later in the year”.

Kim Lund, the senior people partner of the Ocado Group, said:

“We are delighted to be re-engaging with the Andover community and have been overwhelmed by the response to our return. It has been fantastic to reconnect with many former employees of the site, and it is a credit to the Ocado brand and culture that many are returning to work again at the site. The hard work continues ahead of fully reopening but in the meantime, we are looking forward to immersing ourselves into the Andover community, by providing great employment opportunities as well as supporting local schools, colleges, charities and business connections.”