Milestone as discount retailer Home Bargains ramps up operations at Omega automated DC

Home Bargains reports a milestone in the roll-out of its automated distribution centre at Omega, now servicing 200 stores across the UK.

The discount retailer says that this is intaking over 25,000 pallets of stock each week, picking and dispatching almost two million cases, equating to over 50,000 cages of stock, and over 1,000 store deliveries, weekly. More than 60% of all cases picked have been achieved through the fully automated area of the distribution centre.

Operations will continue to ramp up over the coming weeks, ahead of a short pause to focus on peak trade. This will resume in January 2026, with the Omega site on track to serve 312 stores by the end of January 2026.

At the same time, work is progressing on a new distribution centre in Doncaster, planned to open in summer 2028. Once complete, this will add capacity for 300+ additional stores.

Neil Kelson, Head of Logistics, says: “The Omega distribution centre is a cornerstone of our strategy to deliver greater efficiency, resilience, and scalability in our supply chain. We’re proud to see it already making such a strong impact, and we look forward to building on this success as we expand towards Doncaster and beyond.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Automation will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now closed for entries with our finalists and shortlists being announced this week, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.