Furniture giant IKEA has opened a new multi-million pound warehouse in Kent.

The 452,000 square foot building is located at the former Littebrook Power Station in Rennie Drive, Dartford, near the Crossing.

The retailer says the new facility will enable faster, more sustainable home deliveries to customers.

While by 2025 the company is hoping to have 100 per cent of its deliveries carried out by electric vehicles.

With a storage capacity of 35,000 m3 – equal to over 77,000 flatpack BILLY bookcases – the enormous distribution centre is capable of housing up to 9,000 different products, spanning across almost every product in the IKEA range.

The launch of the facility has created more than 300 jobs and is operated by British logistics firm and longstanding IKEA service provider, Wincanton.

A spokesman for IKEA said: “Establishing a distribution centre in the region is a hugely exciting and significant step in our investment in the city, as well as a continuation in our omnichannel strategy to support customers however they choose to shop with us.”

“We want people to enjoy the Ikea experience, whether visiting our stores, home planning or online.

“The distribution centre will enable this by increasing availability of our products and reducing lead times. It also builds on our ambitions for 100% zero emission ‘last mile’ deliveries for 2025, a critical component of our sustainability strategy.”