300 jobs up for grabs at Wiggle in Bilston

More than 300 jobs will be created at the Bilston distribution centre for online cycle shop Wiggle, under plans revealed by bosses. more

Wiggle opened its doors in Bilston in August and created 150 new roles.

Now the firm says it is expected that 500 people will be employed at the site in the next three to five years.

The online cycle shop took over the The Citadel, the 320,000 sq ft building on the Black Country New Road in Bilston.

Bosses have already said they are drawing up plans for the second phase of work, which will give another 80,000 sq ft-100,000 sq ft of storage at the site.

And at a meeting of Wolverhampton council's stronger city economy scrutiny panel, Dan Corrigan from the firm said hundreds more jobs would be created in the coming years.

Minutes from the meeting state: "In response to questions about the size of storage and the length of lease Dan Corrigan advised that the 500,000 square metre site allows for projected growth, any larger than that and it would be more cost effective to buy land and build. He confirmed the lease was for 15 years initially he advised 170-180 employees would be appointed and as the company grows into the space it is anticipated that 500 employees will be employed in three years."

Wiggle operations director Nicholas Pink said: "There's very exciting times ahead, obviously the site is open so it is now about consolidating the site, getting through the peak for this year and it is all about European growth for next year and sustaining our UK market share. The site can take up to 500 staff, so over the next three to five years that is our aim and aspiration, to get it to 500 staff."

Of the posts already filled, 80 per cent of the workforce has been recruited from the city.

The company moved its warehouse operations from its home in Portsmouth, taking over the Citadel building which had stood empty since it was built six years ago.

The Bilston site will handle around 15 million items a year, from racing bikes and cycle helmets to spanners and brake blocks, as well as other sporting gear.

Councillor John Reynolds, Wolverhampton council's cabinet member for city economy, said: "We have supported Wiggle in terms of recruitment, with 80 per cent of its initial Wolverhampton workforce recruited from the city.

"The company is clearly thriving and the council will be doing everything it can to support it in its ambition to potentially employ up to 500 workers at its Citadel operation in the coming years."

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