Corby's huge Avon logistics warehouse to be demolished and redeveloped

The 1960s building in Earlstrees Road is set to be taken down and a more modern premises will take its place.

It comes just months after the Weetabix unit next door hit national headlines and ended up in the High Court when the 1950s factory was replaced by a monolithic warehouse.

Avon have been based in Corby since the 1960s and was one of the earliest non-steelworks firms to provide large-scale employment in the town. In the early days, most of its employees were women.

The building, which sits on a 20 acre site, was sold by Avon to logistics specialist Arvato in May 2024. Arvato took over Avon’s UK logistics operation and the cosmetics giant continues to function from the base in Earlstrees Road. All of its 81 employees transferred over to Arvato.

But now the company wants to replace the outdated base with a new building to protect the future of the employment site.

It has applied to North Northamptonshire Council for permission to demolish all but a small corner of the premises.

Their application states: “The proposed demolition facilitates site clearance to allow for Arvato to expand their operations at the site and consequently results in the retention of a significant local employer, this retaining and enhancing the operational performance of one of Corby’s longstanding and successful industrial sites.”

The site would remain partially operational during the period of demolition.

Two local residents have objected, with concerns over traffic and worries over the lack of planning permission for a replacement building, which they say is ‘presumptuous’ of the applicant.

No plans have yet been submitted for the building that will take its place, but planning documents state that the company has engaged in pre-planning talks with the local authority.

The document states: “The proposals will provide additional storage and operational capacity for the expansion of existing onsite services to assist Arvato in fulfilling their needs due to increased product demand.”

Avon said they did not want to comment on the application. Arvato did not respond to a request for comment from this newspaper.

You can view and comment on the application here.