THG Fulfil has expanded its partnership with AutoStore, giving retailers more choice over how they finance warehouse automation, including both Robotics-as-a-Service and traditional CapEx ownership.
Retailers can now choose to buy the automation infrastructure outright, use the RaaS model or combine the two through a hybrid approach, while retaining THG Fulfil as the distribution and integration partner.
The change is aimed at giving mid-market and enterprise retailers greater financial flexibility as they invest in automation. Businesses looking to protect cash flow and scale capacity alongside demand can continue to use RaaS, while those wanting to own and capitalise the asset can take the CapEx route.
THG Fulfil already has extensive experience operating AutoStore technology within its own fulfilment network. It runs 796 AutoStore robots and says its integration with THG’s proprietary warehouse control system can deliver more than 11,000 bins to picking stations per hour and has reduced average pick wait times by 78%.
The company has also built an AutoStore system for Footasylum comprising 85 R5 robots and more than 96,000 bin locations, storing the retailer’s entire live SKU range.
Tom Killeen, COO at THG Ingenuity, said: “Automation should never force brands to choose between control and cash flow.”
He explained that THG Fulfil originally built its AutoStore distribution offer around RaaS for clients wanting to protect capital while scaling automation, but that more brands are now ready to own their systems outright.
Russell Holmes, Sales Director UK & Ireland at AutoStore, said the wider choice should help businesses scale automation in a way that fits their financial and operational priorities.
