Nike logistics campus set to open in Corby at huge 43-acre operation that will create hundreds of jobs

The world’s leading sportswear brand is heading to Corby to open its first standalone UK logistics operation.

In a secretive project code-named The Terrace that has been two years in the making, Nike is set to build a unique new set-up at the new Magna Park development off the A43.

It will feature a football pitch, outdoor terraces, woodland trails. and a homely environment for workers it is calling ‘athletes’. It will create hundreds of jobs.

The US company was attracted to the town because of its long and proficient history of dealing with big-brand logistics and its experienced and skilled-up workforce.

An invite-only launch took place on-site this morning (Wednesday, May 8), with the Northants Telegraph the only press in attendance.

The first spade was put in the ground to mark the start of work by Corby Mayor Leanne Buckingham.

Slick videos showed how the brand has forged a reputation for investing in its local community at its European campus in Belgium. Some of those who have been working on the project were in attendance, and for many of the home-workers it was the first time they’d come together as a team.

Programme manager Jon Ford said that the brand wanted to build a ‘community’ at its new Corby site.

“We have spent a couple of years now finding the perfect site,” he said.

“Corby represents the ideal opportunity for us.

"This will not just be a distribution centre, it will be a real campus that people can call home.”

He said the design of the building will reflect the plantation around the building on a former iron-ore quarry just off the A43.

"I recently presented our plans in some details to an MD of one of the largest logistics firms in the UK,” he said.

"When I’d finished, he said that it’s not that nobody in the UK is doing this, it’s that nobody in the world is thinking about logistics in this way.”

Nike’s European operations and Logistics vice president Eb Mukhtar MBE revealed to the assembled crowd that he was born and bred in Kettering and went to St Thomas More RC Primary in the nearby town.

He said that Nike’s Belgian operation had previously provided logistics across Europe but that the UK was now Nike’s biggest market.

"That means we need presence, capability and flexibility,” he said.

"That led us here to Corby with its national reputation for logistics. It’s the perfect place to build a campus for the future.

"We’re not building a warehouse. This is going to be different. This will not be a steel box. The team here are going to create something that’s uniquely Nike, uniquely UK, uniquely Corby.”

He said it will be a ‘state-of-the-art’ facility with an iconic design that would reflect the Northamptonshire countryside.

When will it open?

Designs are in place, construction has started in earnest and it’s expected the site will be fully operational in the summer of 2027.

What kind of jobs will there be?

There will be hundreds of logistics shop-floor jobs for what Nike is calling its ‘athletes’. But there is also the promise of ‘world class’ employment opportunities for skilled administrative work, engineering and management roles.

Nike encourages workers to stay with the company for their whole career and a quarter of its workers at its Belgian distribution centre have been there for more than a decade.

What opportunities are there for the rest of Corby?

At the launch, Eb Mukhtar said that the firm wanted to build ‘authentic community relations’. The site will have a football pitch for workers with community access, and there was also the the promise of ‘sport for all’ opportunities. Eb said: “We believe that kids playing helps communities thrive.

"We’re committed to investing in sport and play for kids.” He said there would be more detail on opportunities for local sports clubs later this year.

Where is the campus?

The campus will be among seven planned units at Magna Park which range in size from 279,000 square feet to a million square feet.

Two of the largest units are already complete – with one let to Top Hat and a second to an as-yet undisclosed company.

Nike’s operation will be 1.3m square feet – the largest unit in Corby and one of the largest in the country. It will be on a 43-acre site and will process orders for Nike footwear, clothing and equipment.

Previously Nike has used external logistics providers including Advanced Supply Chain in Corby.

Nike had publicly revealed in February that they were looking for a Midlands logistics warehouse. The firm was also thought to be seeking a site that would achieve BREEAM Outstanding in line with its Move to Zero ambitions which aim to create zero carbon and zero waste.

The units include rainwater harvesting systems, low zero carbon technology, integrated air source heat pumps throughout and the use of solar thermal systems on the roof of the buildings.

The news comes after the blow that Top Hat would not be imminently opening their planned modular homes factory in one of the already-complete Magna Park units that had been specifically fitted-out to accommodate the Government-backed company.