Matalan and KNAPP Redefine Scalable Logistics

Matalan, the leading UK and international fashion and homeware retailer, has recently been making significant investments in automation. Since the start of its collaboration with KNAPP in 2020, Matalan’s distribution centre in Knowsley, Liverpool, has developed into a showcase for what scalable logistics solutions can do. In April 2025, the fifth planned extension was ordered, representing a further multi million euro investment.

Start small, scale big

By 2027, Matalan’s high-performance omnichannel fulfilment hub will feature 8 rack line shuttle system, 8 pocket induct stations, 16 picking and 16 decanting workstations, and 5 dispatch ramps. What began in 2021 with just one pocket sorter system and nine workstations has evolved, step by step, into a warehouse at the cutting edge of logistics. “With KNAPP’s scalable logistics,” explains John Smith, Senior Logistics Network Development Manager at Matalan, “we have achieved a balance of investment and reward as well as growth and efficiency, whilst remaining dynamic.”

Matalan made the choice to plan in modules, providing space to explore workflows, optimise processes and react flexibly. The positive results paved the way for further expansion. In 2024, a second pocket sorter system was added, plus an Evo Shuttle 1D automated store with a capacity of 100,000 containers, 6 decanting workstations and 2 spiral conveyors. The intelligent KNAPP logistics software KiSoft and a resident customer service team complete the package. These expansions raised Matalan’s efficiency in e-commerce significantly and improved order fulfilment precision to 99.8%, while also extending the order cut-off time for next-day delivery by six hours, enhancing the customer experience. In the same year, MultiScan was also introduced – an automated solution for recording product master data. In 2025, store fulfilment was modernised with ergonomically designed goods-to-person workstations replacing manual picking.

Today, Matalan’s distribution centre is capable of one-touch omnichannel distribution from a single pool of stock, processing up to 100,000 online orders a day. The fifth expansion at Matalan, which will make the automated system double its original size, proves how successful the modular approach to automation is. With a clear strategic outlook, the system evolves and is future-proofed – one step at a time.

Partners in precision

The long-term collaboration between KNAPP and Matalan is an impressive showcase of scalable success. “For us, there are two sides to scalability,” explains Jack Gardner, Head of Sales Design Engineering at KNAPP UK. “On the one hand, our solutions can grow with our customers’ needs. On the other, we can integrate them seamlessly into the processes on site.” This approach leaves Matalan free to target its investments to actual requirements, making choices based on real-life experience and a deep knowledge of its customers’ logistical needs. All expansions have so far been implemented without stopping operation; the same is planned for future projects. This successful approach is proof of KNAPP’s technical expertise, but also reflects the level of trust Matalan places in this partnership. With tailored planning, technical flexibility and collaborative implementation, KNAPP is the ideal partner for any business that wants to take carefully considered steps towards a scalable future without going all in on automation at once.