Constellation Cold Logistics UK is nearing completion of building a new 130,000 square foot modern logistics facility in Grimsby to open later this summer.

When opened, the expanded Estate Road 2 facility will comprise of an additional 37,000 pallet spaces, boosting the total capacity of the facility to 52,000 pallet spaces of frozen storage focused on serving Grimsby’s food industries.

The state-of-the-art facility, which boasts fully frozen loading bays, has been supported by a £5 million grant from the UK Seafood Infrastructure Scheme.  It will store pallets across a combination of mobile and static racking systems and will be kept below -18°C by a new, 5,000 square foot energy efficient plant room, providing refrigeration to both the existing and additional cold storage chambers.  The new facility has been designed with sustainability in mind, and solar PV is being installed on the roof of the existing building and the new expansion. This will provide a 50%+ reduction in Scope 3 emissions for customers when compared with existing storage facilities available in the region.

The new facility allows Constellation to support its customers' growth while increasing the range of specialised value-added services provided.  Working with Constellation in Grimsby also gives customers instant access to the company’s wider UK and pan-European network of temperature-controlled logistics facilities, totalling over a million pallets positions across 38 facilities in eight countries.

As well as storage, between Constellation’s new and existing facilities across the town, Constellation offers a range of services:

  • Freezing – products can be frozen using several different methods depending on customers’ individual requirements.
  • Tempering – products can be safely defrozen for further processing or distribution.
  • Case picking – case picking services can meet customers across multiple sectors, and the Constellation sites have expertise in dealing with high throughput multi-product pick operations.
  • Unpacking, repacking and shrink wrapping – including a wide range of specialised unpacking and repacking services for various products.
  • Handballing – the handballing service involves carefully unloading loose cargo from containers onto pallets, and vice versa, ensuring smooth and safe transfer for further distribution or storage.
  • Transport (including a single-pallet groupage service) – Constellation has a dedicated fleet of 85 modern trucks and temperature-controlled trailers, providing temperature-controlled transport from single-pallets to full loads.
  • Cross-docking – involves unloading goods from incoming trucks and immediately loading them onto outbound trucks with minimal storage time, speeding up distribution and reducing storage costs for customers.
  • Quality control services - quality, product integrity and supply chain traceability are essential in food supply chains.  Constellation can either accommodate third party quality inspectors or provide this service in-house, for or on behalf of customers using dedicated on-site quality control kitchens.
  • Import and export services – Constellation supports customers with the expertise to ensure their products are imported and exported without disruption.
  • Bespoke customer infrastructure solutions – Constellation provides a customer-centric approach and welcomes the opportunity to partner with customers to meet their unique cold chain needs.

The cold chain plays a crucial role in both the economy and daily life.  Ensuring the safe transport of food, pharmaceuticals and other goods from their origin through production, distribution and retail enables the convenience and safety of modern living.  It contributes significantly to the UK economy and this role continues to grow.  It is also essential for food industries in Grimsby and the surrounding region, providing storage for raw materials, semi-finished and finished products. 

The cold chain provides a significant source of high-quality employment, offering roles that span from warehouse operatives and drivers to systems analysts and robotics engineers, and it supports many more within the region across the food sector.

Constellation now has 1 million pallet spaces across the UK and Europe, including 227,000 pallet spaces in Grimsby.

The story of Constellation’s growth is set out here and you can learn more about the new Grimsby facility and the services offered here.