AUTODOC has opened its first UK warehouse near Manchester, giving the online auto parts retailer a domestic fulfilment base as it expands its service to British drivers.
The 7,200m² facility in Oldham opened in late May and is being operated with Radial, the e-commerce fulfilment specialist that is becoming part of the newly formed third-party logistics group Paxon. AUTODOC said the site will support faster deliveries, reduce cross-border complexity, and serve as a cornerstone of its long-term UK expansion.
The hub can hold up to 75,000 stock keeping units and has launched with 41,000 SKUs already in stock in the UK. It has been designed to process thousands of orders a day while supporting AUTODOC’s wider online catalogue of 7.8 million parts by holding high-demand inventory inside the UK network.
Dmitri Zadorojnii, CEO of AUTODOC, said: “The opening of our Manchester facility marks AUTODOC’s evolution from a global webshop to a local powerhouse”. He added: “By establishing this ‘local heartbeat’ in the UK, we are combining our massive scale with the speed and reliability of a domestic partner to serve our UK customers even better in the future.”
Britain’s automotive aftermarket is being shaped by an ageing vehicle parc, household cost pressures, rising online purchasing, and growing demand for electric vehicle components. AUTODOC cited 42.5 million ageing vehicles on UK roads and said more drivers are turning to do-it-yourself maintenance as they look to control repair costs.
Zadorojnii said: “Our goal is to match the trust and convenience of local household brands, ensuring the right part is delivered with the seamless service British drivers expect”.
The operational case for the site was tested immediately through the first live order. At 08:13 on a Tuesday morning, a customer ordered brake discs and pads for delivery to Liverpool. AUTODOC said the order was dispatched from the Manchester hub the same day and delivered by 14:42 on Wednesday, less than 31 hours after the click.
Sebastian Bleser, Senior Vice President Supply Chain at AUTODOC, said: “With 41,000 SKUs already in stock in the UK, everyday orders can be processed and dispatched domestically, making the process faster and more reliable than ever”. He added: “Manchester is the perfect central location with direct motorway access to every corner of England, Scotland and Wales. Partnering with Radial and leveraging their sophisticated fulfilment infrastructure allows us to bypass the complexities of cross-border logistics and ensure a seamless, highly efficient flow of goods directly to our customers.”
Radial is managing warehousing, fulfilment, and transport at the site. Wayne Chapman, UK CEO of Paxon, said: “We are proud to support AUTODOC’s UK expansion by providing warehousing, fulfilment and transportation services that meet customer demand for readily available automotive parts, which can be delivered quickly and efficiently”.
Chapman said the logistics team had carried out extensive data analysis to plan inventory management, warehouse set-up, fulfilment throughput, and transport operations. He added: “During the first 48 hours of operation alone, we successfully processed around 1,000 orders at the new warehouse.”
The new UK operation gives AUTODOC five distribution centres across Europe, serving customers in 27 countries. For a retailer with a large online catalogue and a time-sensitive product category, localising high-demand stock reduces the distance between online demand and physical delivery.
Vehicle parts purchases are often urgent, safety-critical, or linked to keeping a car on the road. By moving more inventory into the UK, AUTODOC is reducing its reliance on international dispatch for everyday orders while giving itself room to scale as aftermarket purchasing continues to shift online.
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