Some of these dedicated staff have worked at the site for over 20 years. Their contribution is vital not only to Superdrug but to the wider public, as this warehouse plays a key role in distributing essential products, including vital medications.
The warehouse, which spans nearly 300,000 sq ft, has been used by Superdrug for 34 years. The lease was coming up for renewal and it was expected that there would be no problems seeing as the site is a perfect location for distribution.
Unfortunately, this was not the case. The closure of the warehouse is a blow to the people of South Elmsall and emblematic of deeper, structural problems in this country.
Superdrug’s justification for the closure is that it is part of a plan to “evolve” their supply chain, with the aim of improving efficiency and expanding customer access. But these corporate platitudes mask the devastating impact this decision will have on real people, real families, and an entire community.
I do not agree with Superdrug’s rationale. Behind the management-speak is a straightforward reality: over 400 people could lose their livelihoods. I have been in close contact with Unite the Union, offering full support to the workers affected. I urge Superdrug to reconsider their proposals and think about the loyal service of their workers in South Elmsall before discarding them.
I raised this issue directly with the Government in Parliament last week, where I said: “Pharmacies play a key role in communities in rural areas such as mine, but it is deeply frustrating when the supply chain breaks down and a pharmacy cannot deliver its medicine. Will the Minister thank the 400 Superdrug workers in my constituency who are trying to make the supply chain work?”
The truth is, for decades, the working class - especially in the North - has been abandoned. Industries were shut down, communities hollowed out, public services cut, wages depressed, skills lost, and young people left with few opportunities. Understandably, people feel angry.
We need a new economic settlement - one that invests in people, values work and builds real prosperity. This is how Labour can defeat Nigel Farage. His hard-right party who are no friends of working people. They stand for Thatcherite economics and the status-quo, when what we need above all is to turn our backs on 40 years of free-market fundamentalism.
I have made it very clear that I believe it’s time the state played a more active role in the economy to shape positive social outcomes that reflect the common good, rather than leaving things to the anarchy of the market in which the wealthy gain all the benefits.
The Superdrug workers at South Elmsall must not be discarded like many workers in our area have been since the closure of the mines. I call on Superdrug to step up and make a commitment to our area, just like the workers in our area have made a commitment to Superdrug for 34 years.