Woolworths opens largest ‘dark store’ in time for Christmas, creating 900 jobs

It looks like any other of the supermarket giant’s outlets, catering to 20,000 customers a week, but this new ‘dark’ Woolworths isn’t on the map.

Woolworths has opened its newest dark store, capable of servicing 20,000 extra orders a week and creating up to 900 new jobs just in time for the Christmas rush.

The multimillion-dollar online customer fulfilment centre at Lidcombe will be used exclusively to fill online orders for home delivery to western Sydney, seizing on rising interest in online shopping.

The 15,000sq m centre – the chain’s largest online hub in the country – will allow more than 20,000 extra delivery windows each week for customers from Parramatta to Newtown and Bankstown to Lane Cove.

The custom-built distribution centre in west Sydney is Woolworths' largest 'dark store' in the country.

It comes as Woolworths’ online sales increased by 100 per cent between July and September, now accounting for 8 per cent of total supermarket sales.

Woolworths e-commerce director Annette Karantoni said western Sydney customers were increasingly turning to the “ease and convenience” of online grocery delivery.

“To keep pace with demand, we’re investing in new online infrastructure to offer our customers more delivery windows and an even more reliable service,” she said.

“This is particularly important as we head into Christmas when customers are busy and looking for ways to reclaim time with their loved ones.

“We’re delighted to welcome hundreds of new personal shoppers to Woolworths at our Lidcombe CFC. It’s a great example of retail innovation driving jobs growth in NSW.”

The purpose-built facility has wider aisle and more shelf space than a standard supermarket, allowing personal shoppers to hand-pick orders from more than 20,000 products quickly, efficiently and accurately.

Woolworths will employ 900 personal shoppers for the new online delivery centre in Western Sydney.

Western Sydney Minister Stuart Ayres said he was “delighted” Woolworths had chosen western Sydney as the location for its latest hub.

“The NSW government is focused on driving private sector job creation as a critical part of our COVID-19 recovery strategy,” he said.

“This site is a terrific example, which will deliver a welcome boost to local employment with 900 new jobs in the heart of western Sydney.

“It’s been an incredibly challenging year for supermarkets amid the global pandemic. As a government, we’ve focused on providing flexibility with curfews and trading hours to help supermarkets meet the essential needs of the community.”

There are more than 20,000 products on the shelves of the new western Sydney hub.