The facilities in Doncaster, Rochdale, Charlton, Greenford, Wellingborough and Larne, Northern Ireland, are expected to transfer to DP World in September 2026. Together, they provide more than 2 million sq ft – approximately 186,000 m² – of additional warehouse capacity.
The sites serve Asda, Sainsbury’s and Co-op, storing approximately 46,000 product lines. Their capabilities include ambient, chilled, frozen and bonded storage.
However, GXO will retain the transport operations associated with the sites where applicable, meaning the agreement principally covers the warehousing side of the grocery contracts.
Competition concerns forced the sale
The operations previously formed part of Wincanton’s dedicated grocery warehousing business. GXO completed its acquisition of Wincanton in April 2024, but the UK Competition and Markets Authority subsequently found that the combination could substantially reduce competition in dedicated warehousing for major supermarket chains.
According to the CMA’s final report, GXO, Wincanton and DHL were the principal credible suppliers in this specialised market. The regulator concluded that the merger risked reducing supermarkets’ choice of providers from three to two and weakening their negotiating position.
The CMA therefore required GXO to sell Wincanton’s dedicated grocery warehousing operation to an approved purchaser. The regulator has approved DP World’s acquisition of the business.
DP World said the agreement would strengthen its UK contract-logistics network and support its effort to connect ports, transport, warehousing and distribution. Its existing UK operations include the London Gateway and Southampton container terminals.
