Aldi has started moving fruit and vegetables through its automated Bardon Distribution Centre in Leicestershire, England, the next phase in the ramp-up of what the retailer calls the largest automated warehouse in the UK. The first produce pallets, including ginger and avocados, arrived at the site Sept. 16, and the first outbound pallet left the following day.

The produce launch follows the start of general operations at Bardon in May. Aldi has invested more than £500 million in the 1.3 million-square-foot facility, part of a £1.6 billion investment in Britain planned for 2026 and 2027. The automation was supplied by Cimcorp, the Finland-based intralogistics integrator and Murata Machinery subsidiary that also serves grocery retail customers in North America.

“Fresh produce is a vital part of our customers’ shopping, yet it presents one of the most complex challenges in grocery logistics, with products needing to move quickly and efficiently from suppliers to stores to maintain freshness,” said Jonathan Heaton, regional managing director for Bardon at Aldi UK. “The technology we’ve implemented with Cimcorp allows us to handle enormous volumes while maintaining the precision and care that fresh products demand.”

Three temperature zones, one banana room

The produce operation is split into three temperature-controlled areas. A chilled chamber holds items such as apples and carrots in high-bay racking until stores need them, at which point automated shuttles pull the pallets down for dispatch. A separate banana room handles ripening-sensitive fruit, and the system maintains distinct temperatures for products such as salad leaves and soft fruit to protect shelf life.

Once fully operational in 2027, the site is expected to move more than 1.5 million kilograms (about 3.3 million pounds) of fruit and vegetables daily during peak periods, with more than 6,000 pallets of produce leaving for stores each day. The facility will handle nearly 7 million pallets a year and employ about 1,000 workers.

The site also carries 19,000 rooftop solar panels and is the lowest carbon-density warehouse in the Aldi South Group, according to the company.

Capacity for 1,500 stores

The investment adds distribution capacity as Aldi works toward its long-term goal of 1,500 UK stores. The company said it is the UK’s third-largest fresh produce retailer, selling an average of 2.2 billion pieces of fruit and vegetables a year, including more than 300 million bananas, 80 million apples and 160 million potatoes. It has set a target of increasing the number of produce portions sold by 14 percent by the end of 2027.

“By reducing the cost of moving products from our suppliers to our stores, we can continue to deliver the lowest prices on the market while ensuring customers always find fresh, high-quality fruit and vegetables on our shelves,” Heaton said.

Mikko Kumpulainen, system planning development manager and key account manager at Cimcorp, said the project shows how automation can manage high volumes while keeping the flexibility a grocery operation requires. “Our automation allows Aldi to respond more effectively to changing demand patterns while supporting long-term growth,” he said.

Cimcorp Group, headquartered in Ulvila, Finland, has designed and integrated intralogistics automation since 1975, with robotic systems and software serving customers mainly in grocery retail and the tire industry. A member of Murata Machinery Ltd., one of the world’s largest logistics automation suppliers, the company operates through a worldwide network of offices and partners, including its U.S. headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia. More information is available at cimcorp.com.

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