THG Fulfil, an AutoStore distributor and leading provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology, robotics and operations platforms built for global e-commerce, has completed its first AutoStore implementation for an external retailer. Footasylum’s automated fulfilment operation is now live and delivering 212% of the output of the retailer’s previous operation, from fewer than half the picking stations.
Announced in June 2026, the system processed its first customer order on 28 August 2026 and went fully live on 14 September, giving Footasylum an automated operation for its first peak trading season with the technology. The build was delivered two months faster than the original project plan, with less than six months between contract signature and first order.
A fleet of 85 AutoStore R5 robots operates across 96,000 bin locations, with 100% of Footasylum’s live SKU range stored in the grid and system uptime holding at 99.8%.
Apparel has long been regarded as one of the more challenging categories for cube storage automation, owing to the breadth of SKU profiles, the volatility of demand and the variability of product dimensions. Before construction began, the two teams ran 80,000 simulations using Footasylum’s order history, seasonal demand curves and product data to determine the optimum number of robots and ports.
At the heart of the live operation is THG Fulfil’s proprietary Warehouse Control System (WCS), developed over five years inside THG Fulfil’s own AutoStore network, which includes one of the highest-output direct-to-consumer AutoStore facilities in the world. THG Fulfil’s in-house development team continues to refine the WCS after go-live, using live order data to improve bin sequencing, batching and stock positioning.
The project was delivered under a hybrid commercial model combining elements of capital investment and THG Fulfil’s Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) offering, structured specifically around Footasylum’s requirements.
To document the project, THG Fulfil filmed the Footasylum build on site over three months. The result is ‘Grid: A Fulfilment Transformation Story’, a two-part docuseries featuring first-hand accounts from the people who made the decision, negotiated the deal and delivered the build.
Episode one follows the decision: Why a retailer running a fully manual distribution centre chose automation over a new-build DC or a third-party logistics provider and how a 2:00am email led THG Fulfil to take its internal automation capability to market.
Episode two goes inside the build: The commercial negotiation that came down to the final weekend, the 80,000 simulations, the first robot placed on the grid and the lessons both teams will carry into the next project.
