A North Hampshire Ocado distribution centre, destroyed in a “devastating” fire in 2019, is set to reopen this year after an extensive rebuild.

Kim Lund, HR Manager for the site, revealed the news as work on the building draws near to a close.

The customer fulfilment centre (CFC) is set to open in the Spring in a series of phases, while recruitment for the facility is ongoing.

Ocado opened their hub in Andover in November 2016, with the facility costing millions of pounds to construct. However, in the early hours of February 5, 2019, an electrical fault in a charging unit set alight a plastic lid, with the fire subsequently spreading to the rest of the facility.

Firefighters fought for days to bring the blaze under control, bringing in units from a number of counties. They eventually handed back control of the site on February 8, with the building gutted by the flames.

In light of the fire, Ocado confirmed its commitment to the town, and promised to build a “state-of-the-art replacement” in place of the destroyed CFC. The fire cost the company £110.3 million, and a number of staff were made redundant in the months following the fire.

The company applied to build a temporary facility at the site, which allowed it to continue at two thirds of its capacity while the reconstruction took place.

Planning permission for the rebuilt site was granted in February 2020, including offices, a service yard and car park to go alongside the facility, with up to 1,700 people to be employed at the site.

Recruitment is now taking place, with Kim Lund saying that 22 managers had been hired so far; all of them former employees of the original warehouse. 150 warehouse employees have so far registered their interest to return to Andover, with a phased opening in the Spring planned.

Kim Lund said: “2021 will be a super exciting year for Ocado as we prepare to open our brand new CFC in Andover, Hampshire.

This is significant for Andover, not only because of the speed at which we have rebuilt it but also because of the job opportunities that come with it. We have already started recruiting our management team and so far, 22 out of 32 positions have been filled, all with former employees.

For our warehouse operatives, over 150 former employees have already registered their interest in returning and we'll be communicating with them soon as to how we will phase start dates from the Spring onwards.

“As the plan progresses we'll keep everyone updated.”

Ocado were contacted for comment.