Marks & Spencer is making a big move to grow its food business. The British retailer announced it will spend £340 million (around $457 million) on a huge new robotic warehouse in Daventry,

central England.

The site will be massive—about 1.3 million square feet—and is set to open in 2029. Once running, it will create 1,000 permanent jobs, plus another 2,000 during construction.

M&S says the new facility will help it keep shelves stocked, lower costs over time, and give it the capacity it needs to meet its goal of doubling the size of its food business.

This investment comes just months after the company suffered a cyberattack in April that temporarily shut down its online operations. Despite that setback, food sales are bouncing back—up 6.7% year-on-year in the 12 weeks to August 9, according to NielsenIQ. The data also shows M\&S currently holds a 3.7% share of the UK grocery market.

Alex Freudmann, who runs M&S Food, summed it up: “This investment will boost capacity for future growth, lower our cost to serve over the long-term, and improve product availability.” Photo by mailer_diablo, Wikimedia commons.