In readiness for change and the many challenges of Brexit, total supply chain solutions specialist Oakland International is set to increase capacity at its Dublin facility by over 60% as of January 2021.

After launching in Ireland in 2009 and establishing a strong presence via their joint collaboration with Mark Caffrey, Oakland took the strategic decision in 2018 to expand and move to the ideal location of Food Central, which is adjacent to Dublin airport, has excellent motorway links, and is less than 10 minutes from the Dublin port tunnel, placing Oakland Ireland in the right place at the right time.

Oakland International Director Richard Hill commented: “Having moved from a 9,000sq.ft warehouse to a 30,000sq.ft. purpose built facility in 2018 we are delighted to be expanding again in the New Year when we will be in a 50,000 sq. ft. warehouse, servicing all major Irish retailers.

“We’ll also be responsible for the building of a total of 80,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Food Central, all thanks to the hard work of our team and their desire to provide a premium service to support suppliers and Irish retailers.”

Looking ahead, Oakland is prepared for this next busy trading period, which will be challenging both regarding Brexit and the pandemic. In addition they are on target to add to this with a further 30,000 sq. ft. extension in their collaborative partnership with Agro Merchants, as Oakland prepares for significant expansion of their chilled and frozen supply chain consolidation operations for the whole of Ireland over the coming year, with contract packing and direct-to-consumer (D2C) solutions alone expecting significant growth in the first six-months of 2021.

Added Richard: “We’ve learnt from 2020 that retail will be strong particularly if food service is curtailed by Covid, with our plan to continue to invest in our people and our growth strategy, whilst strengthening  and building on our successes.

“Consolidating customer product into all major retailers, we’re able to help and support those who wish to act for themselves, with Oakland ideally located both close to retailers and to the port for imported goods. 2021 provides challenge, but also great opportunity.”

Oakland International is a B2C/B2B specialist in contract packing, storage, picking, food distribution and brand development support provider for ambient, chilled and frozen food to the retail, convenience, discount, wholesale and food service markets in the UK, Ireland and via their partner in Spain. They are also BRC AA accredited, a double Queen’s Award for Enterprise recipient for International Trade and Sustainable Development and they are working towards becoming the first carbon-neutral business within its sector.