Monday, 7 December 2020: Woolworths has opened a new multi-million dollar online Customer Fulfilment Centre in Lidcombe (NSW) to better serve the fast growing demand for home delivery in western Sydney.
It's a timely move ahead of the busy Christmas season, which will offer customers spanning from Parramatta to Newtown and Bankstown to Lane Cove access to more than 20,000 extra delivery windows each week.
The new 15,000sqm site - equivalent to 12 Olympic swimming pools - is Woolworths' largest online hub in Australia and will create up to 900 new jobs for personal shoppers.
Woolworths' online sales increased by 100 per cent year on year between July and September 2020 and now account for eight per cent of total supermarket sales.
Woolworths Director of eCommerce, Annette Karantoni said: "We're seeing more and more of our customers turn to the ease and convenience of online grocery delivery in western Sydney.
"To keep pace with demand, we're investing in new online infrastructure to offer our customers more delivery windows and an even more reliable service. This is particularly important as we head into Christmas, when customers are busy and looking for ways to reclaim time with their loved ones.
"We're delighted to welcome hundreds of new personal shoppers to Woolworths at our Lidcombe CFC. It's a great example of retail innovation driving jobs growth in New South Wales."
The Lidcombe fitout was completed by Australia's retail specialists, Mainbrace Constructions and created around 300 jobs during construction.The purpose-built facility has wider aisles and more shelf space than a standard supermarket, allowing personal shoppers to handpick orders from a range of around 20,000 products quickly, accurately and efficiently.
New South Wales Minister for Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres said: "I'm delighted that Woolworths has chosen to locate its largest online grocery hub in the country right here in western Sydney.
"The NSW Government is focused on driving private sector job creation as a critical part of our COVID-19 recovery strategy. This site is a terrific example, which will deliver a welcome boost to local employment with 900 new jobs in the heart of western Sydney.
"It's been an incredibly challenging year for supermarkets amid the global pandemic. As a government, we've focused on providing flexibility with curfews and trading hours to help supermarkets meet the essential needs of the community."
Woolworths Group employs 14,000 team members in western Sydney and has invested tens of millions in new shopping centres, stores, renewals and online infrastructure across the region over the past 12 months.
