In 2020, as a result of the Covid pandemic, Amazon sales soared by 51% in the UK. With many shops on the high street closed, UK households trapped at home turned to the online retailing giant for not just entertainment but also for essentials. As a consequence, Amazon were looking not only to open new sites, but also to refurbish some of their existing estate to facilitate the growth in sales.
Responding to Rapid Growth
In 2020, as a result of the Covid pandemic, Amazon sales soared by 51% in the UK. With many shops on the high street closed, UK households trapped at home turned to the online retailing giant for not just entertainment but also for essentials. As a consequence, Amazon were looking not only to open new sites, but also to refurbish some of their existing estate to facilitate the growth in sales.
Amazon Reliability Maintenance Engineering contacted KCM to assist with the design and refurbishment of its staff facilities at its site in Milton Keynes.
The existing commercial kitchen and servery facilities were out of date, and the catering team were struggling to cope with the existing numbers on site. Increased demand placed additional pressure on both the service speed and operational efficiency during peak periods. With the onset of the peak trading season for Amazon imminent, the scheme was time critical.
Amazon had a set budget for the refurbishment project, and a clear concept as to what they wanted to achieve. Following an initial site meeting with the Amazon team, KCM drew up a design for both the back and front-of-house areas around the concept that Amazon had presented.
Getting the Flow Right
Within the kitchen area, the flow of the kitchen was important, with the client highlighting that the dishwash area had been a particular problem, causing delays in the washing process. Workspace and refrigerated storage within the kitchen had also been identified as insufficient in the existing layout. The proposed design included a warewash area with a double-hood pass-through, ample dirties and cleans tabling, along with a state-of-the-art grease management system. Refrigerated storage was boosted by walk-in fridges and freezers, and a mix of upright, counter and under-counter cabinets. To provide maximum flexibility for the Amazon team, a set of dual-temperature drawers was included.
The service counter was completely inadequate for the numbers employed at the site; the new design tripled the size of the service counter, with a U-shape layout and an emphasis on displaying both the hot and cold offers in an attractive way. The flow around the different areas of the counter, leading to a separate till station, was key to the success of the proposed design.
Central to the equipment selection in both areas was energy efficiency and durability, with Amazon expecting their investment to stand the test of time.
Providing a One Stop Solution
In addition to the supply and installation of the equipment, KCM also quoted for the fit-out and service works for the scheme, including internal wall amendments, hygienic wall cladding, safety flooring, plumbing, electrical works and decoration. Being able to have one contractor and project manager responsible for the scheme was important to Amazon.
Following submission of the proposals, further discussions and site meetings were held with the client, which led to minor amendments. During one follow-up visit, it was discovered that the dishwash area had a waste connection at an unusual height. Whilst this would have been acceptable for the dishwasher connection, it posed a problem for the waste connection when a grease management system was introduced. To overcome this, KCM proposed a suitable high-volume pump system to manage wastewater from the dishwash area.
Resolving Pandemic Supply Chain Issues
For this project, we were looking to provide the client with durable, efficient equipment. Working with our partner manufacturers, we proposed equipment from Precision Refrigeration, Williams Coldrooms, Meiko and GreaseShield, amongst others, alongside working with CED for the servery counters and fabrications.
The project went smoothly, with close integration between ourselves and the Amazon RME and H&S teams. We were required to work to tight deadlines and under strict Covid management conditions within a fully operational and busy Amazon distribution centre.
All aspects of the scheme were completed on schedule and to the quoted budget, allowing Amazon to begin using the facility on target.
The project went smoothly, with close integration between ourselves and the Amazon RME and H&S teams. We were required to work to tight deadlines and under strict Covid management conditions within a fully operational and busy Amazon distribution centre.
All aspects of the scheme were completed on schedule and to the quoted budget, allowing Amazon to begin using the facility on target.
This was the first major job we carried out folwing the first Covid lockdown. With continued restrictions, as well as Amazon’s strict security policies, we had to carefully plan and action our programme to both adhere to the rules, and importantly still enable our works to be completed to the high standards we set ourselves. I am delighted with the result, as was the client.
Lewis Knight, Director – KCM
Lewis Knight, Director – KCM
We were appointed to refurbish the kitchen facilities at an Amazon distribution depot during the Covid-19 pandemic, delivering the project under strict safety conditions.
Despite these challenges, we successfully completed both the back-of-house kitchen and front-of-house serveries on time and with no additional cost to the client. The result is a modern, efficient, and highly functional facility tailored to support a busy, high-demand site. A seamless refurbishment delivered under challenging conditions, providing a practical and durable solution for daily operations.
Alistair White, Director – KCM
Despite these challenges, we successfully completed both the back-of-house kitchen and front-of-house serveries on time and with no additional cost to the client. The result is a modern, efficient, and highly functional facility tailored to support a busy, high-demand site. A seamless refurbishment delivered under challenging conditions, providing a practical and durable solution for daily operations.
Alistair White, Director – KCM
