RD Johns Foodservice invests in new distribution centre

R D Johns Foodservice is to open a new purpose-built headquarters and distribution centre near Newton Abbot, Devon, in December 2022.

The 40,000 sq ft depot, set in a four-acre site, will have three floors with frozen, chilled and ambient storage and ‘progressive office and welfare spaces’ for employees, including a café and outdoor terrace to provide healthy break spaces. The new facility will create an additional 30 jobs, bringing the total employed by R D Johns to 250.

The Unitas Wholesale member has been trading for more than 50 years and is based in Newton Abbot, with an addition depot in Midsomer Norton. It stocks more than 5,000 product lines which are available for next-day delivery to hospitality venues, schools, colleges and universities, and care homes throughout the West Country.

Pentadel Project Management has been appointed to oversee the project. The building has been designed with the long-term use and re-use of materials in mind; for example, metal stud partitions will be used throughout the internal offices, enabling for full reuse of existing materials in the event of future alterations. In addition, solar passive design strategies have been used – roof lights and windows are placed to balance the need to maximise daylight and reduce reliance on artificial light sources with reducing excessive solar gains.

There will be bike stands for 30 bicycles and infrastructure for up to 70% of the facility’s domestic parking spaces to provide EV charging. In addition, rainwater will be harvested via a dedicated tank, providing for all sanitary needs.

“Working alongside Pentadel to design this new facility has been an exciting journey,” commented Andrew Johns, managing director at R D Johns. “The team took the time to understand our challenges, our ambitions and – crucially – our values. The resultant design is one that proudly espouses those values, and which is going to support our future growth.”